LUCP  f  tub 


THE  CAVE  TWINS.    Illustrated. 
THE  MEXICAN  TWINS.    Illustrated. 
THE  ESKIMO  TWINS.    Illustrated. 
THE  IRISH  TWINS.     Illustrated. 
THE  JAPANESE  TWINS.    Illustrated. 
THE  DUTCH  TWINS.    Illustrated. 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 
BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 


..'• 


y/>jj  v 

A  ,> ;  /  /^ 


THE  CAVE  TWINS 

By  Lucy  Fitch  Perkins 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  THE  AUTHOR 


BOSTON    AND    NEW    YORK 
HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 
fttoerpibe  ^retfa  Cambridge 
1916 


COPYRIGHT,   1916,   BY   LUCY  FITCH   PERKINS 
ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 

Published  October  iqib 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION  —  PREHISTORIC  MAN 
I.    GRANNIE  AND  THE  TWINS  . 
THE  BISON  FEAST  . 
THE  RUNAWAYS 
IV.    THE  JOURNEY         .        . 
V.    THE  TREE  CLAN        , 
VI.    THE  EARTHQUAKE  . 
THE  ISLAND       , 
THE  RAFT       .        .        . 
THE  SURPRISE    . 
THE  VOYAGE  .        .        . 
L'ENVOI  •        .       V 


II. 
III. 


VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 


5 
27 

45 

63 

89 

103 

"5 

127 

i37 
147 
165 


343437 


THE  CAVE  TWINS 


PREHISTORIC  MAN 

This  is  a  story  about  things  that  happened  ages 
and  ages  ago,  before  any  of  us  were  born,  or  our 
great-great-grandfathers  either,  for  that  matter.  It 
was  so  very  long  ago  that  there  were  no  houses,  or 
farms,  or  roads  from  one  place  to  another,  and 
there  was  not  a  single  city,  or  a  town,  or  even  a 
village  in  the  whole  earth. 

There  was  just  the  great,  round  world,  all  fresh 
and  new,  and  covered  with  growing  things;  and 
there  were  wild  beasts  of  all  kinds  in  the  forests,  and 
fishes  of  all  kinds  in  the  seas,  and  all  sorts  of  birds 
and  flying  creatures  in  the  air. 

Besides  all  these  wonderful  things  in  the  new,  new 
world,  there  was  Man. 

He  was  quite  new  too.  He  did  n't  know  much  of 
anything  about  the  world.  All  that  he  really  knew 
was  that  there  was  a  world,  and  that  he  was  in  it, 
and  that  there  were  fierce  wild  animals  in  it  too, 
which  would  kill  him  and  eat  him  if  he  did  n't  kill 
them  first.  And  he  knew  very  well  that  he  was  not 
as  swift  as  the  deer,  or  as  big  as  the  elephant,  or  as 

I 


strong  as  the  li$n,  or  as  fierce  as  the  tiger,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  as  if  he'  Had  n't  much  chance  to  stay 
alive  at  all  in. a,  world  so  full  .of  terrible  creatures 
who  wanted  to  eat  him  up. 

But  this  Prehistoric  Man  was  very  brave,  and  he 
could  do  two  things  which  none  of  the  other  crea 
tures  could  do  —  he  could  laugh  and  he  could 
think. 

One  day,  he  sat  down  on  a  rock,  and  took  his 
head  between  his  hands  and  thought  and  thought, 
and  by  and  by  he  lifted  up  his  head  and  said  to  his 
wife,  — for  of  course  he  had  a  wife,  —  "  /  have  it, 
my  dear.  If  we  are  not  as  strong  as  the  wild  beasts, 
we  must  be  a  great  deal  more  clever." 

So  he  got  right  up  off  the  rock  and  set  about  being 
clever.  And  so  did  his  wife.  They  were  so  clever 
that  they  hid  themselves  in  trees  and  rocks  where  the 
wild  beasts  could  not  find  them.  And  they  found  out 
the  secret  of  fire. 

The  other  creatures  could  not  find  out  the  secret 
of  fire  to  save  their  lives,  and  they  were  dreadfully 
afraid  of  it.  Then  the  Man  and  his  wife  made  wea 
pons  out  of  stones,  and  bones,  and  they  made  dishes 
out  of  mud,  and  though  these  things  were  n't  a  bit 
like  our  weapons  or  our  dishes,  they  got  along  very 
well  with  them  for  many  years. 

2 


In  the  earliest  times  of  all,  the  Woman  hunted 
and  trapped  the  wild  creatures,  and  fished,  all  by 
herself,  but  by  and  by  she  began  to  let  the  Man  do 
the  hunting  and  bring  home  the  game,  while  she 
stayed  in  the  cave  house  and  kept  the  hearth-fire 
bright  and  took  care  of  the  children.  She  cooked  the 
food  that  he  brought  home,  and  she  made  needles  out 
of  bones  and  sewed  skins  together  for  clothes  for  her 
husband  and  the  children  and  herself.  After  a  long 
time  she  began  to  plant  seeds  of  the  wild  things  that 
she  found  were  good  to  eat,  and  to  raise  food  out  of 
the  ground. 

All  these  things  they  did,  and  many  more  that  had 
never  been  done  before,  —  and  because  they  were  so 
much  more  clever  than  all  the  beasts  of  the  forest,  the 
Prehistoric  Man  and  his  prehistoric  wife  lived  a 
long  time  in  a  little  peace  and  more  happiness  than 
you  might  at  first  think  possible. 

They  taught  their  children  all  the  clever  things 
they  had  thought  out,  and  these  children,  when  they 
grew  up,  taught  them  to  their  children,  and  this 
went  on  for  hundreds  and  thousands  of  years.  Each 
generation  learned  new  things  and  taught  them  to 
the  next,  until  now  we  have  houses  and  churches  and 
villages  and  cities  dotted  over  the  whole  earth,  and 
there  are  roads  going  from  everywhere  to  everywhere 

3 


else.  There  are  railroads  and  steam-cars  and  tele 
graph  and  telephone  lines,  and  printing-presses,  so 
that  to-day  everybody  knows  more  about  the  very 
ends  of  the  earth  than  Prehistoric  Man  could  pos 
sibly  know  about  what  was  happening  fifty  miles 
away  from  him. 

And  all  these  things  we  have  to-day  because  the 
Prehistoric  Man  and  the  Prehistoric  Woman  did 
their  part  bravely  and  well  when  the  earth  was 
young. 

This  is  a  story  about  that  far-off  time.  If  you 
don't  believe  it 's  true,  every  word  of  it,  just  get  out 
your  atlas  and  find  the  places  on  the  map.  They  are 
every  one  of  them  there. 


I 

GRANNIE  AND  THE  TWINS 


I 

GRANNIE  AND  THE  TWINS 

ONE  bright  morning  of  early  spring,  long 
ages  ago,  the  sun  peered  through  the  trees 
on  the  edge  of  a  vast  forest,  and  sent  a  shaft 
of  yellow  sunlight  right  into  the  mouth  of 
a  great,  dark  cave.  In  front  of  the  cave  a 
bright  fire  was  burning,  and  on  a  rock  be 
side  it  sat  an  old  woman.  In  her  lap  was  a 
piece  of  birch-bark,  and  on  the  bark  was 
a  heap  of  acorns.  She  was  roasting  them 
in  the  ashes  and  eating  them.  At  her  right 
hand,  within  easy  reach,  there  was  a  pile  of 
broken  sticks  and  tree  branches,  and  every 
now  and  then  the  old  woman  put  on  fresh 
wood  and  stirred  the  coals  to  keep  the  fire 
bright. 

A  little  path  ran  from  the  front  of  the  cave 
where  the  old  woman  sat  down  the  sloping 
hillside  to  a  blue  river,  and  the  morning 

5 


sun  shining  across  it  made  a  bridge  of  daz 
zling  light  from  shore  to  shore. 

Beyond  the  river  there  were  green  fields 
and  forests,  and  beyond  the  forests  high  hills 
over  which  the  sun  climbed  every  morning. 
What  lay  beyond  those  far  blue  hills  neither 
the  old  woman  nor  any  of  the  clan  of  the 
Black  Bear  had  the  slightest  idea. 

Everything  seemed  quiet  and  peaceful  on 
that  spring  morning  so  long  ago.  The  trees 
were  beginning  to  turn  green  and  little  plants 
were  already  pushing  their  way  through  the 
carpet  of  dead  leaves.  A  robin  lit  upon  the 
branches  of  a  tree  above  the  cave  and  sang 
his  morning  song. 

There  was  no  other  sound  except  the 
sizzling  of  a  wet  stick  on  the  fire,  and  the 
snapping  noise  made  by  the  old  woman 
when  she  took  a  roasted  acorn  from  the 
fire  and  cracked  it  with  her  teeth. 

The  old  woman  was  not  pretty  to  look 
at.  Her  face  was  as  brown  as  leather  and 
covered  with  wrinkles,  and  her  hair  hung 
about  it  in  ragged  gray  locks.  It  was  no 

6 


wonder  that  her  hair  was  rough  and  ragged, 
for  it  had  never  been  combed  her  whole  life 
long,  and  she  was  quite  old  —  oh,  as  old  as 
forty,  maybe  !  But  she  really  could  n't  help 
her  hair  being  like  that  any  more  than  she 
could  help  being  forty,  because  there  was 
not  a  single  comb  yet  made  in  the  whole 
world ! 

It  was  a  mystery  how  she  cracked  the 
nuts  so  well,  because  she  had  only  a  few 
teeth  left  in  her  mouth.  For  clothing  she 
had  nothing  but  the  skin  of  a  deer  fastened 
over  her  left  shoulder  by  a  thorn,  and  tied 
around  her  waist  with  a  leather  thong. 

Although  she  seemed  to  be  thinking  of 
nothing  but  her  nuts,  the  little  bright  eyes 
of  the  old  woman  kept  close  watch  in  every 
direction,  and  her  ears  were  quick  to  hear 
every  unusual  sound.  If  a  twig  snapped, 
or  there  was  a  rustling  noise  in  the  under 
brush,  she  was  ready  in  an  instant  to  fling 
fresh  dry  sticks  on  the  fire  and  make  it 
glow  red  against  the  black  opening  of  the 
cave. 

7 


She  knew  that  no  wild  animal,  however 
fierce  and  hungry,  would  dare  come  near 
the  leaping  flames.  Yet  watchful  as  she 
was,  she  did  not  see  two  children  who  were 
creeping  stealthily  toward  her,  over  the 
great  rocks  which  sheltered  the  mouth  of 
the  cave. 

They  were  a  boy  and  a  girl,  and  from 
their  size  they  must  have  been  about  eight 
years  old.  They  both  had  bright  twinkling 
eyes  and  flaming  red  hair,  and  were  dressed 
alike  in  skins  of  red  foxes  of  almost  the 
same  color.  You  could  tell  at  a  glance  that 
they  were  twins,  but  it  would  have  puzzled 
any  one  to  tell  whether  they  were  both  boys 
or  both  girls,  or  one  of  each  kind.  They 
came  down  over  the  rocks  so  quietly  that 
not  even  the  quick  ears  of  the  old  woman 
heard  the  faintest  sound. 

When  they  had  almost  reached  the  ground, 
they  stopped,  and  at  the  same  instant  opened 
their  mouths  and  howled  exactly  like  two 
young  wolves ! 

The  noise  was  so  sudden  and  so  near 
8 


that  the  old  woman  never  thought  of  her 
fire  at  all.  She  simply  screamed  and  fell 
right  over  backwards  into  the  cave.  Then 
she  rolled  over  and  scuttled  on  all  fours 
out  of  sight  in  the  darkness  as  fast  as  she 
could  go. 

The  acorns  from  her  lap  flew  in  every 
direction  and  rolled  down  the  hillside.  The 

9 


boy  and  girl  jumped  to  the  ground,  shriek 
ing  with  laughter.  In  a  moment  the  old 
woman  was  back  again  in  the  door  of  the 
cave.  She  had  a  stout  stick  in  her  hand 
and  she  looked  very  angry.  She  shook  the 
stick  at  the  Twins  and  scolded  them  so  fast 
that  the  sound  of  it  was  like  the  chattering 
of  an  angry  squirrel  in  a  tree-top. 

Now,  of  course,  I  cannot  tell  you  just  the 
10 


words  she  used,  but,  translated  into  Eng 
lish,  this  is  what  she  said:- 

"  You  horrid  little  catamounts,  if  I  catch 
you,  I  '11  teach  you  better  manners !  I  '11 
give  you  such  a  taste  of  this  stick  that 
you'll  not  need  more  till  the  river  runs 
dry." 

The  Twins  sprang  up,  still  shrieking  with 
laughter,  and  danced  about  the  fire  just  out 
of  reach  of  the  woman's  stick. 

"  But  you  can't  catch  us,"  they  screamed. 

Their  red  locks  of  hair  flew  about  in  the 
wind  as  they  danced,  until  it  looked  almost 
as  if  red  flames  were  bursting  from  their 
heads.  The  old  woman  glared  at  them  help 
lessly. 

"  Dance  away,"  she  cried,  "  dance  away, 
you  red-headed  rascals !  I  shan't  need  to 
put  sticks  on  the  fire  while  you  are  here. 
Your  red  hair  would  scare  away  the  saber- 
toothed  tiger  himself!  No  wonder  you  are 
not  afraid  to  run  alone  in  the  forest !  With 
such  heads  on  you,  you  are  as  safe  as  if 
you  were  in  the  heart  of  the  cave." 

n 


Just  then  she  saw  her  acorns  all  spilled  on 
the  ground,  and  her  rage  broke  out  afresh. 

"  Pick  them  up,  you  little  rats  !  They  are 
the  last  of  my  winter's  store,  and  it  will  be 
four  moons  yet  before  they  will  be  ripe 
again." 

Down  went  the  children  on  their  hands 
and  knees,  and  began  to  gather  up  the  scat- 


12 


tered  nuts.  Young  as  they  were,  they  knew 
the  value  of  food.  They  also  knew  the  taste 
of  Grannie's  stick.  In  those  days  food  could 
be  found  only  at  the  risk  of  life  itself  and  was 
not  to  be  thrown  away  while  hunger  lasted. 

Besides,  the  hunting  had  not  been  good 
for  some  time.  The  reindeer  had  gone  far 
ther  north,  and  the  great  herds  of  bison  had 
not  yet  come  back  from  the  warmer  re 
gions,  where  they  ranged  in  winter.  There 
were  wild  beasts  of  many  other  kinds  in  the 
forest,  but  the  hunters  of  the  clan  had  not 
brought  home  meat  for  several  days.  This 
was  one  reason  why  the  children  had  ven 
tured  so  far  into  the  forest.  Most  of  the 
time  they  and  the  other  children  of  the  clan 
stayed  near  the  cave  under  the  watchful  eye 
of  the  old  woman,  while  their  fathers  and 
mothers  went  hunting. 

"  Now,  don't  be  cross,  old  Grannie-sit- 
by-the-fire  1 "  cried  the  girl.  At  least,  I 
think  it  was  the  girl,  but  the  Twins  looked 
so  exactly  alike  I  can't  be  quite  sure.  "  We  '11 
pick  up  your  nuts  for  you.  And  if  you  '11 


put  your  stick  down,  we  '11  give  you  some 
thing  we  brought  for  you." 

The  old  woman's  face  softened.  You 
might  almost  have  thought  there  was  the 
beginning  of  a  smile  in  the  corners  of  her 
mouth,  but  she  only  said,  "  I  know  your 
tricks,  worthless  ones  !  You  have  brought 
me  nothing  but  a  fright  and  a  tumble  in  the 
ashes." 

The  girl  poured  the  acorns  she  had  gath 
ered  into  the  piece  of  birch-bark  \vhich 
served  the  old  woman  as  a  plate,  and 
danced  over  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave.  She 
saucily  took  the  stick  out  of  Grannie's  hand 
and  flung  it  on  the  fire,  and  then  led  her 
back  to  the  stone  seat. 

"  Go  along  and  get  it,  Firetop,"  she  called. 
I  know  it  was  the  girl  who  said  this,  because 
it  was  the  boy  who  was  called  Firetop,  on 
account  of  his  red  hair.  The  girl's  hair  was 
just  as  red,  but  they  called  her  Firefly. 

Firetop  sprang  up  the  rocks  down  which 
he  had  climbed  so  carefully  only  a  few  mo 
ments  before,  and  came  down  again  slowly, 

H 


carrying  something  in  each  hand.  He  stood 
before  the  old  woman  with  his  hands  be 
hind  him. 

15 


"  Guess,  Grannie,  guess  !  "  cried  Firefly. 

By  this  time,  the  smile  had  got  out  of  the 
corners  of  Grannie's  mouth  and  had  spread 
all  over  her  face. 

"  Roots,"  she  said. 

"  Wrong,"  shouted  the  children.  "  Guess 
again." 

"Spruce  gum." 

"  Wrong  again,"  laughed  the  Twins. 

Grannie  thought  a  while  this  time.  Then 
she  said,  "  Snails." 

"No,  no,  no,"  the  Twins  said  both  to 
gether;  and  then  Firetop  slowly  brought 
his  hands  round  in  front  of  him  and  showed 
the  old  woman  four  large  bird's  eggs. 

You  should  have  seen  Grannie's  face 
then !  It  was  all  wreathed  in  smiles,  and 
when  she  smiled  she  wasn't  so  bad  to  look 
at  after  all.  Almost  nobody  is  for  that  mat 
ter. 

She  took  the  eggs  from  Firetop's  hands 
and  covered  them  carefully  in  the  ashes. 

"  We  '11  roast  them,"  she  said.  "  I  fve  had 
nothing  to  eat  but  acorns  for  three  days 

16 


past.  Now,  tell  me  where  you  have  been, 
and  how  you  found  the  eggs." 

"We  were  hungry,"  explained  Firetop, 
"and  all  the  big  people  had  gone  off  hunt 
ing,  and  we  thought  we  'd  go  too.  We 
thought  we  knew  where  we  could  find  some 
roots.  So  we  hid  ourselves  and  waited  un 
til  Robin  and  Blackbird  and  Squaretoes 
had  gone  down  to  the  river  to  hunt  frogs, 
and  then  we  ran  back  into  the  woods." 
Robin  and  Blackbird  and  Squaretoes  were 
the  other  children  of  the  clan. 

Firefly  could  never  stay  quiet  for  very 
long  and  now  she  broke  into  the  story. 

"Yes,  and  we  found  some  roots,  too," 
she  said.  "  We  were  just  eating  them  when 
from  a  hazel  bush  right  in  front  of  us  we 
heard  a  loud  snort !  We  did  n't  wait  to  dig 
any  more  roots,  I  tell  you !  There  was  a 
chestnut  tree  nearby,  and  we  grabbed  a 
limb  and  swung  ourselves  up  just  in  time. 
It  was  n't  only  one,  it  was  three  wild  boars 
that  rushed  out  of  the  bushes,  and  the 
biggest  boar  had  tusks  as  long  as  this." 

17 


Fire-fly  held  up  a  stiqk  about  eight  inches 
long,  as  she  spoke. 

41  It's  lucky  we  were  up  in  the  tree,  for 
they  were  all  hungry  too,  and  they  looked 
as  if  they  thought  Firetop  and  I  would  taste 
very  good,"  she  laughed.  "Then  Firetop 
teased  them.  He  hung  down  from  the  limb 
and  tickled  their  noses  with  a  long  stick. 
My,  but  they  were  mad !  " 

"Yes,"  said  Firetop,  "they  looked  just 
as  mad  as  you  did,  when  we  scared  you, 
Grannie." 

"  I  wonder  one  look  at  you  did  n't  scare 
them  to  death,"  said  Grannie,  "because 
animals  are  so  afraid  of  fire !  I  am  used  to 
the  flames  on  your  heads,  but  if  I  were  to 
come  upon  you  for  the  first  time  I  think 
I  'd  climb  a  tree  myself!  Or  else  I  should 
think  the  woods  were  on  fire  and  run  away." 

Grannie  poked  Firefly  in  the  ribs  and 
laughed  at  her  own  joke. 

"  Maybe  our  red  hair  helped  some,"  said 
Firefly,  "for  pretty  soon  they  all  three  turned 
and  ran  grunting  off  through  the  woods." 

18 


"And  then,"  said  Firetop,  "we  thought 
we  'd  come  back  by  the  tree  path.  We  went 
out  on  the  limb  of  the  chestnut  as  far  as  we 
could  go,  and  swung  into  the  big  oak  tree 
that  stood  next.  There  are  a  lot  of  oak  trees 
together  there  and  we  were  going  along 

19 


from  one  to  the  other,  when  there  was  a 
loud  whirring  noise  and  a  big  bird  flew  out 
of  the  top  branches  right  over  our  heads ! 
We  looked  up  and  saw  the  nest.  It  was 
made  of  sticks.  I  got  the  eggs  and  handed 
them  down  to  Firefly,  and  then  we  came 
home." 

"You  didn't  come  all  the  way  by  the 
tree  path  and  carry  the  eggs,  did  you?" 
cried  Grannie  admiringly. 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Firefly.  "The  eggs  were 
too  big  to  carry  in  our  mouths.  So  Firetop 
dropped  to  the  ground  and  I  handed  the 
eggs  down  to  him.  Then  we  ran  back  home 
as  fast  as  we  could." 

"  You  will  be  as  great  hunters  as  your 
father  and  mother  one  of  these  days  if  you 
keep  on,"  said  Grannie.  "And  no  one  in 
the  whole  clan  can  do  better  than  they  can. 
My,  my,  I  can  remember  when  your  father 
was  a  boy,  how  he  used  to  hunt  eggs! 
That 's  how  he  got  the  name  of  Hawk-Eye. 
He  could  find  eggs,  and  other  things  too, 
where  nobody  else  could  find  anything  at 

20 


all.  How  he  could  swing  along  through  the 
trees  !  No  wild  creatures  could  ever  get  the 
start  of  him.  And  then  your  mother !  She 
could  run  faster  than  the  wind  could  blow. 
She  was  n't  easily  scared,  I  can  tell  you. 
She  had  always  her  legs  to  depend  upon ! 
I  Ve  seen  her  run  from  a  mad  buck  so  fast 
that  she  made  just  a  streak  of  light  through 
the  forest.  And  when  the  buck  got  too  near, 
she  swung  herself  into  a  tree  and  then  hung 
by  her  legs  safe  above  his  head  and  teased 
the  buck  crazy  because  he  could  not  reach 
her.  Ah  !  She  was  a  wild  one  in  those  days, 
and  well  she  earned  her  name  of  Limber- 

leg!" 

"  I  'm  sure  the  eggs  must  be  done  by  this 
time,"  said  Firetop. 

Grannie  reached  down  and  poked  the. 
ashes  away  from  the  eggs.  They  were  very 
hot,  but  her  hands  were  so  tough  and  horny 
that  she  could  even  handle  live  coals.  She 
gave  one  egg  to  Firefly.  Firefly  took  it  in 
her  hand,  but  her  hands  were  not  quite  so 
tough  as  Grannie's  and  it  burned  her  like 

21 


everything !  She  dropped  it  on  the  ground, 
squealing  with  pain.  It  was  cooked  so  hard 
that  it  did  not  spill,  though  the  shell  was 
broken.  Grannie  laughed. 

"Aha,"  she  said,  "I'm  even  with  you 
now  for  giving  me  such  a  scare." 

"  Ho,"  boasted  Firetop,  "  that 's  nothing. 
Watch  me  !  I  guess  if  you  can  handle  them 
I  can."  He  reached  down  and  picked  up 
an  egg  and  held  it  in  his  hand.  It  was  just 


22 


as  hot  as  a  coal  of  fire,  but  he  pretended  it 
didn't  hurt  him.  He  cracked  and  ate  it  in 
two  bites,  and  though  I  'm  sure  it  must 
have  burned  a  red  path  all  the  way  to  his 
stomach,  he  never  said  a  word.  But  when 
Firefly  was  n't  looking  he  did  suck  the  air 
into  his  mouth  to  cool  his  tongue ! 

"Grannie  can  have  the  other  egg,  can't 
she,  Firetop,  because  we  scared  her  so," 
said  Firefly,  when  they  had  each  eaten 
one. 

"  You  may  scare  me  every  day  that  you 
bring  me  bird's  eggs,"  said  Grannie. 

Grannie  took  the  last  egg  from  the  ashes 
and  was  just  cracking  it  when  suddenly 
there  was  a  shout  which  made  them  all 
jump.  Those  were  pretty  jumpy  times,  I 
can  tell  you,  for  a  new  sound  might  mean 
almost  any  kind  of  danger.  There  were  so 
many  wild  beasts  in  the  forest  that  no  one 
could  feel  safe  a  single  minute  unless  he 
was  deep  in  a  cave.  Even  then  the  cave 
had  to  have  an  entrance  so  narrow  that  no 
man-hunting  animal  could  get  into  it,  or 

23 


else  a  fire  must  be  kept  burning  before  it 
to  frighten  them  away. 

The  moment  they  heard  the  sound,  Gran 
nie  dropped  her  egg  and  sprang  to  her  feet. 
Firetop  and  Firefly  popped  into  the  cave 
and  were  out  of  sight  in  an  instant.  Gran 
nie  threw  fresh  sticks  on  the  fire,  and  as 
it  blazed  up,  she  looked  fearfully  about  in 
every  direction.  Now  she  heard  another 
sound  besides  the  shouts  and  screams  of 
children's  voices.  From  far  away  down  the 
river  came  a  long  low  roar  and  the  tramp, 
tramp  of  many  feet.  A  group  of  children 
came  tearing  up  the  path  toward  the  cave, 
shouting  at  the  top  of  their  lungs,  "The 
bison  are  coming,  the  bison  are  coming!" 

Grannie  took  up  the  cry.  "  The  bison  are 
coming,  the  bison  are  coming! "  she  shouted 
into  the  cave,  and  out  tumbled  Firetop  and 
Firefly  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 

"Where,  where?"  they  screamed. 

"There,  there,  in  the  river  bottom," 
panted  Squaretoes,  the  biggest  of  the  boys. 
"We  were  hunting  for  frogs  and  all  of  a 

24 


.- 


sudden  there  was  a  roar, — at  first  so  faint 
we  could  hardly  hear  it, --then  far  down 
the  river  we  saw  them  coming !  Run,  run 
to  the  big  rock,  and  you  can  see  them 
too." 

Grannie  threw  a  great  heap  of  dry  wood 
upon  the  fire  and  ran  with  the  children  to 
the  big  rock,  which  lay  part  way  down  the 
path  toward  the  river.  From  the  top  of  this 

25 


rock  the  whole  valley  was  spread  out  be- 
fore  them  like  a  map. 

Squaretoes  pointed  toward  the  south,  and 
there  in  the  green  marshy  land  bordering 
the  river  were  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
great  dark  hairy  beasts.  They  were  run 
ning,  and  as  they  ran,  they  made  a  low 
roaring  sound  that  was  frightful  to  hear. 

"We  shall  have  fresh  meat  to-night," 
said  Grannie  to  the  children.  "  The  herd 
has  been  frightened.  I  could  not  see  the 
leaders.  Some  of  our  hunters  have  surely 
found  them." 

They  stood  on  the  rock  until  the  great 
herd  had  thundered  by  and  was  out  of  sight 
around  a  bend  in  the  bluff.  Then  Grannie 
said,  "  Come,  let  us  go  back  to  the  fire  and 
gather  plenty  of  fuel,  so  we  can  cook  the 
meat  when  it  comes,  and  have  a  great  feast." 


II 

THE  BISON  FEAST 


II 

THE  BISON  FEAST 

FOR  hours  Grannie  and  the  children  worked 
together  to  get  a  huge  pile  of  fuel  ready  for 
a  feast  which  they  hoped  to  have  at  night. 
It  was  something  like  getting  ready  for 
Thanksgiving. 

"It  is  likely  that  old  Saber-tooth  will  be 
having  a  feast  too,"  said  Grannie.  "  He  is 
as  glad  as  any  of  us  to  see  the  bison  come 
back.  Maybe  now  he  wron't  catch  any  bad 
children  who  stray  too  far  into  the  wood." 

You  see,  the  fierce  saber-toothed  tiger 
was  the  beast  they  feared  most  of  all,  but 
they  always  had  to  be  on  the  watch  for 
wolves  and  hyenas,  and  for  the  dreadful 
cave  bear  as  well.  There  were  wild  horses, 
too,  and  elephants,  and  mammoths,  and 
lions.  Grannie  had  to  keep  telling  the 
children  about  these  dangers,  just  as  our 

27 


mothers  tell  us  to-day  to  keep  out  of  the 
way  of  trolley-cars  and  steam-engines  and 
automobiles.  Only  trolley-cars  and  steam- 
engines  don't  run  after  us  and  stick  their 
heads  right  into  our  front  doors  and  try  to 
eat  us  up,  as  the  wild  creatures  did  in  those 
days. 

It  seems  to  us  now  that  no  one  could 
possibly  have  had  any  happiness  in  a  world 
so  full  of  dangers,  but  you  see  Grannie  and 
all  the  rest  of  the  clan  did  not  know  that  life 
could  be  any  different.  Just  because  there 
were  so  many  dangers,  they  grew  brave  to 
meet  them,  and  a  brave  man  among  dan 
gers  is  far  happier  than  a  coward  in  a  safe 
place.  So  perhaps  they  had  just  as  good  a 
time  living  as  we  do,  after  all. 

By  the  time  the  children  had  gathered  a 
heap  of  wood  large  enough  to  cook  the  big 
gest  kind  of  a  feast,  it  was  afternoon.  There 
was  nothing  in  the  cave  to  eat,  and  they 
grew  hungrier  and  hungrier,  but  there  were 
no  signs  of  any  hunters.  Shadows  began 
to  gather  in  the  woods.  Now  and  then  there 

28 


was  a  cry  of  some  night  bird,  or  of  a  dis 
tant  wolf.  These  were  lonely  sounds.  Fire 
fly  began  to  be  discouraged'. 

"  Suppose  they  should  n't   bring  home 
any  meat  after  all,"  she  said. 

"Then  we'll  just  have  to  go  hungry," 
said  Grannie. 

Firetop  laid  his  hand  on  his  stomach  and 
groaned. 

"Men  never  complain  of  such  things," 
said  Grannie. 

29 


Firetop  took  his  hand  off  his  stomach  at 
once  and  made  believe  he  had  just  coughed 
a  little.  You  see  the  cave  people  taught 
their  children  to  bear  hunger  and  pain  with 
out  making  any  fuss  about  it. 

"  I  tell  you  what  we  could  do,"  said 
Grannie.  "  If  we  had  some  water,  we  could 
have  a  place  to  boil  the  meat  all  ready  when 
the  hunters  come  back.  Who  '11  go  for 
water?" 

"Til  go,"  said  Firetop. 

"So  will  I,"  said  Blackbird. 

"And  I,"  said  Squaretoes. 

They  were  all  boys.  Robin  and  Firefly 
were  the  only  little  girls  in  the  clan. 

"Get  the  gourds  and  the  pig-skin  and 
run  along,  then,"  said  Grannie.  "Keep  a 
sharp  lookout,  for  you  know  the  wild  beasts 
will  soon  be  out  for  their  night  hunting." 

Firetop  ran  for  the  skin  of  the  wild  boar 
which  was  in  the  cave.  It  was  their  water- 
cask.  The  other  boys  got  gourds  with  holes 
cut  in  them  to  make  dippers,  and  then  they 
were  ready  to  start. 

30 


Grannie  took  three  sticks  of  pine  and  laid 
the  ends  in  the  fire.  When  they  were  burn 
ing  well,  she  gave  one  of  them  to  each  of 
the  boys  for  a  torch. 

"  It  is  n't  dark  yet,  but  you  will  be  safer 
with  these,  anyway,"  she  said. 

As  soon  as  the  three  boys  had  gone  skip 
ping  and  whooping  down  the  path  to  the 
river,  Grannie  and  the  girls  set  about  get 
ting  a  kettle  ready.  They  hollowed  out  a 
hole  in  the  ground,  not  far  from  the  fire. 
When  it  was  deep  enough  they  lined  it  with 
a  heavy  piece  of  hide.  They  put  stones 
around  the  edge  of  it  to  keep  it  in  place. 
Then  they  gathered  piles  of  small  stones 
and  threw  them  in  the  fire  to  get  hot.  By  the 
time  all  this  was  done  the  boys  were  back 
with  the  pig-skin  full  of  water.  Grannie 
poured  it  into  the  hollow  dish  in  the  ground. 

It  was  almost  dark,  and  it  seemed  to  the 
children  that  they  could  not  wait  another 
minute,  when  they  heard  a  welcome  sound. 
It  was  the  noise  of  voices,  talking  and  laugh 
ing  together. 

31 


They  sprang  to  their  feet  and  gave  a 
whoop  of  joy.  It  was  answered  by  a  shout 
from  the  path. 

"They  are  coming  slowly  and  they  are 
laughing.  They  have  meat,"  cried  Grannie. 
She  threw  more  wood  on  the  fire.  Up  flew 
the  flames,  lighting  the  forest  with  a  red 
glare.  Sparks  floated  away  over  the  very 
tree-tops.  By  its  light  they  saw  Hawk-Eye 
and  Limberleg  and  all  the  other  men  and 
women  of  the  clan  toiling  up  the  path.  The 
bigger  boys  were  with  them,  too,  and  they 
were  all  loaded  down  with  great  chunks  of 
bison  meat ! 

The  weary  hunters  dropped  the  bison- 
skins  in  one  place  to  be  stretched  and  cured 
the  next  day.  The  meat  they  threw  down 
on  the  ground  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
and  Grannie  and  the  other  women  began  at 
once  to  cook  it. 

Some  of  it  they  put  in  the  fire  to  roast 
and  some  of  it  they  put  in  the  leather  kettle 
in  the  ground.  Then  they  poked  the  hot 
stones  out  of  the  fire  into  the  water.  They 

33 


kept  taking  the  stones  out  of  the  water  with 
sticks  as  they  grew  cool  and  putting  them 
back  into  the  fire  to  get  hot  again.  In  this 
way  they  soon  got  the  water  to  boil. 

The  smell  of  the  roasting  and  boiling 
meat  was  too  much  for  Firetop.  It  made 
him  so  hungry  that  he  couldn't  wait.  He 
just  snatched  a  piece  of  meat  from  the 
ground  and  ate  it  raw!  But  he  was  ready 
to  eat  again  when  the  meat  was  cooked 
and  the  real  feast  began. 

Then  the  great  fire  blazed  and  crackled 
outside  the  entrance  and  filled  the  cave  with 
a  warm  red  glow.  The  whole  clan  gathered 
in  the  front  of  the  cave  near  the  fire. 

Hawk-Eye  was  the  leader  of  the  clan, 
because  he  was  the  strongest  man  and  the 
best  hunter.  He  was  a  large  man  with  little 
sharp  eyes  and  red  hair  which  covered  his 
breast  and  legs  as  well  as  his  head.  Around 
his  neck  was  a  string  of  bear's  teeth. 

There  were  four  other  men.  They  were 
called  Eagle- Nose,  Gray  Wolf,  Big  Ear, 
and  Long  Arm.  There  were  three  other 

34 


women  besides  Limberleg  and  Grannie. 
They  were  the  wives  of  the  men.  There 
were  four  big  boys,  who  were  already  hunt 
ing  with  the  men,  and  there  were  Blackbird, 
Robin,  and  Squaretoes,  besides  Firetop 
and  Firefly.  These  were  all  there  were  in 
the  clan  of  the  Bear. 

When  the  feast  began,  the  people  all  sat 
down  in  a  circle,  all  but  Grannie.  Grannie 
stood  up  and  handed  out  great  chunks  of 
meat  to  the  others  and  kept  the  fire  bright. 
But  she  had  a  bone  in  her  hand  all  the 
time,  and  whenever  she  had  a  chance,  she 
gnawed  it.  There  were  no  knives  or  forks  or 
plates,  of  course.  They  all  took  their  meat 
in  their  hands  and  just  gnawed  and  gobbled 
as  fast  as  they  could !  Nobody  had  any 
manners,  and  not  a  single  mother  said, 
"  Have  you  washed  your  hands?"  or 
"  Don't  take  such  large  mouthfuls  or  you 
will  choke  yourself,"  or  anything  like  that. 
There  were  some  things  about  those  days 
that  must  have  been  very  pleasant,  after 
all. 

35 


For  a  long  time  they  ate  and  said  noth 
ing.  You  see,  food  had  been  scarce  for  so 
many  days  that  they  had  to  make  up  for 
lost  time.  But  by  and  by,  when  they  were 
all  stuffed  full,  Firetop  rolled  over  on  to 
the  skin  of  a  bear  which  was  lying  on  the 
cave  floor,  and  said  to  his  father:  "Tell  us 
about  the  hunting.  Who  killed  the  meat, 
and  how  was  it  you  all  came  back  together? 
Did  you  hunt  in  a  pack,  like  the  wolves  ?  " 

"Not  just  like  the  wolves,"  said  Hawk- 
Eye,  laughing.  "There  were  five  of  us 
after  the  bison.  The  women  went  off  to 
set  snares  for  rabbits,  and  the  -boys  to 
hunt  eggs  along  the  bluffs  up  the  river.  I 
felt  in  my  bones  that  we  should  see  the 
bison  to-day.  So  the  men  and  I  took 
our  way  toward  the  lowlands.  We  knew 
they  would  come  from  that  direction.  We 
followed  the  bluffs  for  a  long  way,  but  found 
nothing.  We  were  beginning  to  think  we 
should  come  home  empty-handed,  when 
far  away  I  heard  bellowing.  Then  I  saw  a 
little  black  speck  moving  along  the  green 

36 


valley.  Two  black  specks  moved  beside  it. 
They  were  the  leader  and  his  two  sentinels, 
and  behind  them  came  the  herd." 

"We  saw  the  herd,  too,"  cried  Firetop. 
"I  saw  them  first,"  said  Squaretoes.  "I 
saw  them  just  as  quick  as  you,"  shouted 
Blackbird. 

"Shut  up,"  said  his  mother,  and  Black 
bird  did.  Fathers  and  mothers  in  those 
days  used  just  such  language  as  that,  and 

37 


if  the  children  did  n't  mind  at  once,  they 
were  likely  to  get  something  worse  than 
just  language.  It  wasn't  a  polite  age  at 
all. 

"  We  crept  down  the  bluffs  as  quietly  as 
snakes,"  went  on  Hawk-Eye,  when  every 
body  was  still  again.  "  I  was  in  front. 
When  the  leader  of  the  herd  got  to  our 
hiding-place,  I  sprang  from  the  bushes  and 
threw  my  spear  with  all  my  strength.  He 
gave  a  mighty  roar.  He  stood  on  his  hind 
legs  and  thundered.  Then  Big  Ear  sprang 
forward  and  threw  his  spear.  The  leader 
fell.  The  herd  broke  and  ran.  The  sen 
tinels  could  not  control  them.  Then  we 
ran  toward  them.  We  killed  two  young 
cows  with  our  axes.  The  rest  of  the  herd 
rushed  past.  The  leader  and  the  two  cows 
were  left  behind.  The  leader  was  old  and 
tough.  We  pulled  out  our  spears  and  left 
him  to  the  jackals  and  hyenas.  The  two 
cows  were  small.  We  skinned  them  and 
cut  them  into  pieces  and  started  for  the 
cave.  At  the  foot  of  the  path  we  met  the 

38 


other  people.  They  were  weary  and  had 
caught  nothing.  When  they  saw  us  they 
laughed  for  joy." 

"  We  heard  them,  "cried  Firefly.  "  Gran 
nie  said  you  would  bring  meat.  She  said 
so  when  we  heard  the  laughing.  She  said 
so  when  the  herd  passed  by.  She  saw  that 
they  had  been  frightened.  That  is  why  we 
had  the  kettle  ready." 

"  Grannie  is  a  wise  old  woman,"  said 
Hawk-Eye.  "  Now,  get  to  bed,  every  one 
of  you." 

The  children  scuttled  away  and  threw 
themselves  down  on  heaps  of  skins  which 
lay  about  the  cave,  and  were  soon  sound 
asleep.  At  least  the  others  were  asleep, 
but  for  some  reason  Firetop  and  Firefly 
stayed  awake.  Maybe  they  had  eaten  too 
much.  At  any  rate  they  lay  in  their  corner, 
on  their  own  heap  of  skins  and  watched 
Hawk- Eye  and  Limberleg  and  Grannie 
and  the  others  as  they  sat  about  in  the 
cheerful  glow  of  the  fire.  Nobody  had 
said  anything  for  a  long  time,  and  the  Twins 

39 


were  beginning  to  feel  quite  sleepy,  when 
Hawk- Eye  spoke.  What  he  said  made  them 
sit  up  and  listen  with  all  their  ears.  Of 
course  neither  Hawk-Eye  nor  Limberleg 
thought  for  a  moment  that  the  Twins  were 
awake  or  listening.  Grown  people  are 
often  very  stupid  aboyt  such  things !  Any 
way,  they  were  awake,4  and  they  did  listen, 
and  this  is  what  they  heard. 

Hawk-Eye  said,  "I  am  going  across  the 
river  to-morrow." 

"Why  are  you  going?"  asked  Big  Ear. 

"  I  want  to  see  what  lies  beyond  the  blue 
hills  that  the  sun  climbs  over,"  Hawk-Eye 
answered. 

"  But  no  one  of  our  clan  has  ever  gone 
across  the  river.  Our  hunting-grounds  have 
always  been  on  this  side,"  said  Long  Arm. 

"It's  time  some  one  did  go,  then,"  said 
Hawk-Eye.  "Game  will  be  plentiful  now 
everywhere,  but  after  the  reindeer  go,  there 
is  a  long  time  that  we  have  little  food.  We 
need  to  find  new  hunting-grounds.  I  am 
going  to  seek  them." 

40 


"Then  I  am  going,  too."  It  was  Limber- 
leg  who  spoke.  "  I  can  hunt.  I  can  trap  as 
well  as  anybody.  And  I  can  throw  a  spear 
as  straight.  I  am  not  afraid.  Grannie  will 
look  after  the  children  while  we  are  gone." 

41 


When  he  heard  that,  Firetop  poked  Fire 
fly  in  the  ribs. 

"  I  am  going  with  them,"  he  whispered. 

"  They  '11  never  let  you,"  Firefly  whis 
pered  back. 

"  I  'm  going  anyway,"  Firetop  answered. 
"Don't  you  tell." 

"If  you  go,  I'm  going,"  said  Firefly. 
"  I  can  go  as  well  as  you  can." 

"  Sh-sh-sh-  '  said  Firetop,  for  Grannie 
was  speaking. 

"The  river  is  wide  and  dangerous,"  she 
said.  "  The  current  is  swift,  and  who  knows 
what  monsters  may  be  in  it  ?  I  myself  saw 
a  rhinoceros  wallowing  in  the  mud  only  a 
few  days  ago.  Some  say  they  have  seen  a 
serpent  as  large  as  the  trunk  of  a  tree." 

"We  can  go  up  the  river  until  we  find  a 
shallower  place  to  cross,"  said  Hawk-Eye. 
"  I  have  killed  a  tiger  and  a  rhinoceros  and 
a  cave  bear  in  my  time.  We  can  take  care 
of  ourselves." 

When  Limberleg  heard  him  say  "We" 
she  knew  that  she  was  going,  and  she  was 

42 


glad.  She  was  as  brave  as  Hawk- Eye  and 
almost  as  good  a  hunter. 

When  they  saw  that  Hawk- Eye  had 
really  made  up  his  mind  to  go,  nobody  else 
said  anything.  They  knew  it  would  be  a 
waste  of  words ;  and  in  those  days  there  were 
fewer  words  to  waste  than  we  have  now. 

"We  must  start  early,"  Hawk- Eye  said 
to  Limberleg.  "  We  will  take  one  extra  skin 
apiece  and  our  axes  and  spears." 

Limberleg  rose  at  once  and  went  over  to 
the  corner  of  the  cave  where  the  Twins  were. 
The  Twins  shut  their  eyes  tight  and  pre 
tended  to  be  sound  asleep.  Firetop  even 
snored  a  little.  Limberleg  spread  the  skins 
of  two  bears  upon  the  cave  floor  and  threw 
herself  on  one  of  them.  Hawk-Eye  went 
to  the  cave-mouth,  took  a  look  at  the  stars, 
yawned,  warmed  himself  at  the  fire,  and 
then  he  too  went  to  bed.  The  rest  of  the 
men  and  women  found  their  own  places  in 
other  shadowy  corners  of  the  cave,  and 
soon  the  whole  clan  of  the  Bear  was  sound 
asleep. 


Ill 

THE  RUNAWAYS 


Ill 

THE   RUNAWAYS 

NEXT  morning  Firetop  awoke  before  the 
dawn.  He  sat  up  at  once  and  looked  about 
him.  Not  another  soul  was  stirring,  and 
from  the  different  corners  of  the  cave  came 
the  sound  of  snores.  The  fire  was  burning 
brightly,  for  Grannie  had  been  up  four  times 
in  the  night  to  put  on  fresh  fuel.  Now  she 
too  was  fast  asleep.  Firetop  crawled  quietly 
out  of  the  warm  wolf-skins  of  his  bed.  He 
took  one  of  the  wolf-skins  and  tied  it  over 
his  shoulder  with  a  leather  thong.  The  rest 
he  bunched  up  to  look  as  if  he  were  still  in 
bed  and  asleep. 

Hawk-Eye  had  made  a  small  spear  for 
each  of  the  Twins.  They  were  not  play 
things.  They  were  real  spears,  for  children 
of  that  day  had  to  learn  to  use  such  weapons 
while  they  were  still  very  young. 

45 


Firetop  took  his  spear  in  his  hand  and 
poked  Firefly  gently  in  the  ribs  with  it.  She 
woke  instantly  and  would  have  poked  back 
if  Firetop  hadn't  shaken  his  head  at  her 
and  laid  his  finger  on  his  lips.  She  nodded, 
crawled  out  of  her  bed,  and  bunched  it  up 
like  Firetop's.  Then  she  tied  a  wolf-skin 
over  her  shoulder  and  took  her  own  spear, 
and  together  the  two  children  crept  silently 
past  the  sleepers  and  out  of  the  cave.  They 
snatched  chunks  of  meat  from  the  remains 
of  the  feast  as  they  passed. 

It  was  not  yet  daylight,  though  the  sky 
was  pink  above  the  hills  across  the  river 
and  all  the  birds  were  singing  as  the  Twins 
came  out  of  the  cave  and  ran  down  the  river 
path.  Neither  one  of  them  spoke  until  they 
were  far  enough  from  the  cave  so  that  no 
one  could  hear  them.  Then  Firetop  whis 
pered:  "  We  '11  climb  a  tree.  We  can  watch 
from  the  tree  and  see  when  they  start.  Then 
we  '11  slide  down  and  follow  them.  They 
won't  know  we  are  with  them  until  it 's  top 
far  to  send  us  back." 

46 


"  They  won't  like  it,"  said  Firefly.  "What 
do  you  think  they  will  do  to  us?  " 

"They  '11  wallop  us,"  said  Firetop,  "but  I 
don't  care.  It  won't  hurt  when  it  is  over,  and 
I  Ve  just  got  to  go.  We  shall  see  all  kinds 
of  things  that  we  Ve  never  seen  before." 

"Well,"  sighed  Firefly,  "I  do  hate  that 
part  of  it,  but  I  guess  it's  worth  it.  Come 
on.  Let's  climb  this  tree." 

The  children  could  climb  like  monkeys, 
but  they  had  their  weapons  and  the  meat 

47 


and  that  made  it  a  little  difficult.  They  leaned 
their  spears  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree, 
took  the  meat  in  their  teeth,  and  up  they 
went  as  easily  as  you  could  go  upstairs. 
Then  they  hid  themselves  in  a  fork  of  the 
tree  and  ate  their  breakfast. 

The  thick  branches  made  a  screen  around 
them  so  they  could  see  without  being  seen. 
They  watched  the  cave.  It  was  not  long  be 
fore  they  saw  Grannie  come  out  and  take  a 
look  at  the  weather.  .Then  she  put  more  fuel 
on  the  fire  and  sat  down  on  a  rock  to  gnaw 
a  bone  for  her  breakfast. 

Soon  Hawk-Eye  and  Limberleg  ap 
peared.  They  each  had  their  weapons,  and 
a  reindeer-skin  strapped  by  leather  thongs 
across  their  shoulders.  Limberleg  had  a 
gourd  tied  to  her  belt.  They  were  each 
gnawing  bones,  too.  They  stopped  to  speak 
to  Grannie.  The  Twins  leaned  forward  and 
listened  with  all  their  ears.  They  heard 
Hawk-Eye  say,  "The  children  are  still 
asleep.  You  can  tell  them  when  they  wake 
up." 

48 


Then  they  came  along  the  path,  eating 
as  they  came.  They  passed  almost  under 
the  tree  where  the  Twins  were  hiding.  This 
seemed  to  the  Twins  so  funny  that  they 
stuffed  their  mouths  full  of  meat  and  then 
clapped  their  hands  over  them  to  keep  from 

49 


laughing  aloud.  As  it  was,  a  little  snicker 
ran  out  between  Firefly's  fingers.  Hawk- 
Eye  heard  it. 

" What's  that?"  he  said  sharply.  He 
and  Limberleg  stopped  a  moment  and  lis 
tened. 

"Nothing  but  a  squirrel,"  said  Limber- 
leg.  "There  he  is  on  that  log  over  there." 

The  Twins  nearly  smothered  themselves 
then,  to  keep  the  laughs  in. 

Hawk-Eye  and  Limberleg  passed  on 
down  the  path  to  the  very  edge  of  the  forest. 
There  they  turned  and  walked  along  the 
bluffs,  where  they  could  swing  themselves 
into  a  tree  at  a  moment's  notice.  This  was 
safer  than  walking  in  the  green  meadows 
beside  the  river  where  there  were  no  trees 
to  climb. 

Firetop  and  Firefly  waited  until  they 
were  out  of  sight  around  the  turn.  Then 
they  crawled  down  from  the  tree,  took  their 
spears  in  their  hands,  and  ran  after  them. 
They  stayed  back  far  enough  so  they  could 
hide  behind  trees  if  Hawk-Eye  or  Lim- 


berleg  should  turn  round,  yet  near  enough 
to  keep  them  in  sight. 

For  miles  and  miles  they  walked  and  ran. 
It  was  hard  with  their  short  legs  to  keep 
the  pace  set  by  their  father  and  mother,  but 
they  knew  very  well  they  had  to  do  it.  There 
was  no  turning  back  then. 

On  and  on  walked  Hawk-Eye  and  Lim- 
51 


berleg.  The  sun  climbed  higher  and  higher. 
The  children  were  thirsty,  but  they  did  not 
dare  to  run  down  to  the  river  for  a  drink. 
They  were  hungry,  but  they  had  nothing 
to  eat.  They  snatched  little  green  leaves 
from  the  bushes  as  they  passed,  but  this  was 
hardly  enough  to  fill  their  empty  stomachs. 

44  We'll  just  have  to  call  them,"  said  Fire 
fly  at  last.  4<  I  'm  so  hungry  I  Ve  simply  got 
to  have  something  to  eat,  and  if  we  stop  to 
hunt  for  roots,  we  '11  never  catch  up  with 
them  again." 

44  They  '11  be  as  mad  as  mad  bulls  when 
they  see  us,"  said  Firetop. 

44  Yes,  of  course.  We  '11  get  a  good  beat 
ing,"  answered  Firefly.  "We expected  that. 
But  it  won't  hurt  after  it  is  over;  you  told 
me  so  yourself." 

4  *  J  imminy ! ' '  said  Firetop,  —  or  if  it  was  n't 
44  Jimminy  "  it  was  something  that  meant  the 
same  thing,  — (l  I  just  hate  to  think  of  it. 
Can't  you  go  on  a  little  longer?" 

4 'What's  the  difference?"  moaned  Fire 
fly.  44  It's  got  to  come  some  time.  We  might 

52 


as  well  have  it  over.  I  'm  not  going  another 
step."  And  she  sat  plump  down  on  a  fallen 
tree. 

53 


Firetop  put  his  hands  to  his  mouth  and 
gave  a  long  sharp  cry.  It  was  the  distress 
signal  of  the  Bear  Clan.  Hawk-Eye  and 
Limberleg  stopped  instantly.  They  looked 
up  the  river;  they  looked  down  the  river. 
Then  they  caught  a  glimpse  of  two  red 
heads  and  two  very  scared  faces,  far  back  on 
the  bluff.  They  came  tearing  back  through 
the  underbrush  to  the  two  small  figures  on 
the  log. 

They  could  hardly  believe  their  eyes. 

"  Where  did  you  come  from,  you  naughty 
little  weasels?"  cried  Limberleg  angrily. 

"From  the  cave,"  said  Firefly.  "We 
followed  you  because  we  want  to  see  what 
lies  beyond  the  blue  hills  across  the  river, 
too.  And  if  you  are  going  to  spank  us, 
please  do  it  right  away,  because  we  are 
awfully  hungry." 

"  Oh,  no,"  cried  Firetop.  "  You  need  n't 
do  it  now  if  you'd  rather  not!  Couldn't 
you  put  it  off  until  we  get  home  again  ? 
We  're  willing  to  wait,  and  you  'd  have 
more  time  then." 

54 


Limberleg  and  Hawk-Eye  did  n't  discuss 
the  matter.  They  sat  right  down  on  the 
log  and  began.  Limberleg  took  Firefly 
and  Hawk-Eye  took  Firetop,  and  they 
spanked  and  spanked. 

"  Now,  can  we  have  something  to  eat?" 
sniffled  Firetop  when  it  was  over.  Limber- 
leg  looked  at  Hawk-Eye.  "  We  can't  send 
them  back  alone,"  she  said.  Firetop  saw 
that  they  were  going  to  give  in. 

"  The  hyenas  would  surely  get  us,"  he 
said  plaintively.  "'We're  pretty  small  to 
go  back  alone,"  sobbed  Firefly.  "And  be 
sides,  we  want  to  see  what  lies  beyond  the 
blue  hills  across  the  river." 

It  may  be  that  Hawk-Eye  was  a  little 
pleased  at  their  courage  in  following  them. 
Anyway,  he  said:  "Well,  you  can  climb 
like  squirrels.  We  shall  not  be  gone  many 
days.  Come  along."  Firetop  sprang  up  and 
whooped  for  joy.  Firefly  turned  a  somer 
sault.  Hawk-Eye  and  Limberleg  laughed. 
They  couldn't  help  it  You  see,  even  in 
those  early  times  parents  were  fond  of 

55 


their  children,  although  they  did  n't  know 
any  better  punishment  for  them  than  spank 
ings.  There  are  some  parents  like  that  yet. 

"  Now,  what  shall  we  have  to  eat?  "  said 
Firefly,  when  everybody  was  happy  again. 

"We'll  have  to  find  something,"  said 
Hawk-Eye  to  Limberleg.  "You  take  the 
children  down  into  the  meadow.  I  see  car 
rots  growing  down  there.  I  '11  hunt  in  the 
woods.  Listen  for  my  call,  and  \vhen  you 
hear  it,  come  to  that  big  oak  tree  as  fast  as 
you  can." 

Limberleg  and  the  Twins  started  at  once 
down  the  bluff  toward  the  river.  The  bushes 
grew  thick  along  the  slope,  and  as  they 
scrambled  through  them  they  made  a  crash 
ing  noise.  Firetop  was  ahead,  then  came 
Firefly,  and  last  of  all  Limberleg. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  loud  whirring 
sound,  and  out  of  the  bushes  in  front  of 
them  flew  a  great  wood  grouse ! 

Instantly  Firetop  braced  himself  and 
flung  his  spear,  and  before  Limberleg  or 
Firefly  could  catch  up  with  him,  he  was  far 

56 


beyond  them  down  the  slope,  struggling 
with  the  wounded  bird.  When  they  reached 
him,  he  had  killed  it.  Limberleg  was  de 
lighted.  She  patted  Firetop  and  called  him 
a  great  hunter,  and  said  she  was  glad  he 
had  come  writh  them  after  all. 

Maybe  you  think  Firetop  was  n't  a  proud 
57 


boy  then !  He  waggled  his  red  head  and 
swaggered  up  the  slope  toward  the  big  oak 
tree  with  the  huge  bird  on  his  shoulder. 
Limberleg  and  Firefly  stayed  behind  to  hunt 
in  the  bushes  for  the  grouse's  nest.  Fire 
fly  found  it,  and  there  were  seven  eggs  in 
it!  Then  Limberleg  patted  Firefly.  "Your 
father  and  I  will  not  need  to  get  any  food 
for  you,"  she  said.  "  Maybe  you  will  hunt 
for  us."  They  went  up  the  slope  after 
Firetop,  carrying  the  eggs. 

When  they  reached  the  big  oak  tree  on 
the  bluff,  Limberleg  took  the  feathers  off 
the  grouse  and  cut  it  into  chunks  with  her 
flint  knife.  They  had  no  fire,  so  they  ate  it 
raw.  They  ate  five  of  the  eggs  and  left 
two  for  Hawk-Eye.  They  saved  the  legs 
of  the  grouse  for  him,  too.  They  waited  and 
waited,  but  still  Hawk- Eye  did  not  come. 
They  began  to  get  a  little  frightened,  he 
was  gone  so  long.  At  last  there  was  a  call, 
"  Hoo,  hoo,  hoooooo,"  like  the  hooting  of 
an  owl,  and  he  appeared  crashing  through 
the  bushes.  He  had  a  rabbit  hanging  from 

58 


his  shoulder.  Then  Firefly  played  a  trick 
on  him. 

"  We  aren't  hungry,"  she  said.    Hawk- 
Eye  was  astonished. 

"  I  thought  you  were  starved  by  the  way 
you  acted,"  he  said. 

59 


44  We  are  n't  any  of  us  hungry  now,"  said 
Firetop. 

44  Did  you  fill  yourselves  with  carrots  ?  " 
asked  Hawk-Eye. 

44  Oh,  no.  We  had  fresh  meat,"  said 
Firetop,  with  his  nose  in  the  air. 

44  Fresh  meat?"  cried  Hawk-Eye. 

44  What  did  you  kill?"  he  said  to  Lim- 
berleg. 

"  Nothing,"  said  Limberleg. 

4<  But  I  did,"  shouted  Firetop. 

He  told  all  about  killing  the  grouse.  You 
should  have  seen  Hawk-Eye  then!  He 
was  just  as  pleased  as  our  fathers  are  when 
we  get  A  in  arithmetic  ! 

"  I  guess  you  can  take  care  of  your 
selves,"  he  said,  when  he  had  heard  the 
story.  "You  don't  need  me."  Then  he 
laughed  and  made  his  face  look  scared. 
"Will  you  let  me  go- with  you  to  the  land 
where  the  sun  rises?"  he  said.  "  I  am  very 
small,  but  I  can  climb  trees!  I  am  afraid 
to  go  alone.  I  need  you  to  kill  bison  and 
mammoths  for  me  to  eat! " 

60 


Firetop,  Firefly,  and  Limberleg  laughed 
at  this  until  they  nearly  choked.  Then  Fire- 
top  wagged  his  head  at  his  father. 

"You  shouldn't  have  followed  me,"  he 
said.  "  I  shall  have  to  spank  you.  But  you 
are  too  small  to  send  alone  to  the  cave,  so 
I  '11  have  to  let  you  come  with  me." 


IV 
THE  JOURNEY 


IV 

THE  JOURNEY 

i 

ALL  the  rest  of  the  day  they  followed  the 
river,  looking  for  a  place  where  it  was  shal 
low7  enough  for  them  to  cross  without  se 
rious  danger  of  drowning.  They  did  not 
know  how  to  swim.  For  their  supper  they 
had  only  the  rabbit.  They  ate  it  sitting  on 
the  bluff,  with  their  backs  to  each  other  so 
they  could  watch  in  every  direction  for 
signs  of  danger.  When  the  shadow  of  the 
bluff  grew  long  across  the  meadows,  Lim- 
berleg  said:- 

"  Darkness  will  soon  be  upon  us.  Where 
are  we  going  to  sleep  ?  " 

"We  won't  sleep  in  a  cave  anyway," 
said  Hawk-Eye,  "even  if  we  could  find 
one.  We  might  find  the  cave  bear  at  home 
in  it.  In  that  case,  we  should  probably 

63 


spend  the  night  in  his  stomach,  and  I  am 
sure  that  would  be  too  crowded  to  be  com 
fortable." 

"  We  can't  spend  the  night  on  the  ground 
surely,"  said  Limberleg.  "Or  we  might 
wake  up  in  the  stomach  of  old  Saber-tooth 
instead."  This  was  just  their  way  of  joking, 
because  I  never  heard  of  any  one  waking 
up  after  being  swallowed,  except  Jonah  and 
Little  Red  Riding  Hood's  grandmother. 
And  of  course,  this  story  happened  long 
before  either  Jonah  or  Red  Riding  Hood 
or  her  grandmother  did. 

Hawk- Eye  took  out  his  flint  knife.  I  al 
most  said  he  took  it  out  of  his  pocket,  be 
cause  it  seems  queer  to  think  of  a  man 
without  pockets.  Of  course,  he  did  n't  really 
have  any,  though.  The  flint  knife  was  fas 
tened  to  his  belt  by  a  thong. 

"  Go  and  find  all  the  grape-vines  you 
can,"  he  said.  Limberleg  and  the  Twins 
flew  back  into  the  forest  to  search  for  vines. 
There  were  plenty  of  them,  an-d  they  pulled 
up  a  great  heap  of  long,  tough  stems,  and 

64 


brought  them  back  to  Hawk-Eye.  Hawk- 
Eye  had  another  bunch  which  he  had  cut 
On  the  bluff  overlooking  the  valley  there 
was  a  great  oak  tree  with  giant  branches 
spreading  in  every  direction. 

"We'll  sleep  here,"  said  Hawk-Eye. 
"Nothing  can  harm  us  unless  a  wildcat  or 
some  such  climbing  creature  should  visit 
us,  and  I  think  I  could  make  him  wish  he 

65 


--- 


had  n't  come.  I  shall  have  my  spear  beside 
me  and  shall  sleep  on  the  lower  limbs." 

"Shall  we  roost  like  the  birds?"  asked 
Firefly  anxiously. 

Limberleg  laughed,  and  took  a  leap  into 
the  air,  and  caught  one  of  the  branches. 
She  swung  herself  into  the  tree  and  ran 
along  the  branch  to  the  great  thick  trunk. 

44  Hand  up  the  vines,"  she  called  down, 
"and  I  will  show  you  how  we  will  roost." 
Hawk -Eye  tossed  them  up  to  her.  She 

66 


climbed  higher  in  the  tree  and  found  a  place 
where  two  limbs  came  together  like  those 
shown  in  the  picture:  She  wove  the  vines 
back  and  forth  over  the  two  branches  until 
she  had  made  a  rough  net- work  like  a  very 
coarse  hammock. 

"  Now,  up  you  come,"  she  called  to  Fire 
fly,  "and  I  will  put  you  to  bed." 

Firefly  climbed  the  tree.  This  was  the 
way  she  went  upstairs  to  bed. 

Limberleg  took  off  the  wolf-skin  which 
was  still  tied  over  her  shoulders,  and  spread 
it  over  the  vine  hammock.  Then  Firefly 
crawled  into  her  bed.  Her  mother  took  the 
leather  thong  which  had  been  around  the 
wolf-skin  and  tied  her  securely  to  one  of 

67 


the  limbs  with  it.  That  was  her  way  of 
tucking  her  in  so  that  she  would  not  fall 
out  of  bed.  She  didn't  hear  her  say  her 
prayers,  because  in  those  days  they  did  n't 
know  there  was  anything  to  pray  to,  unless 
it  was  to  giants,  or  the  spirits  of  water  or 
of  fire,  or  of  thunder  and  lightning.  They 
prayed  to  them  sometimes  when  they  were 
frightened.  I  don't  believe  she  kissed  her 
good  night,  either.  There  was  not  much 
kissing  in  those  days.. 

When  Firefly  was  safely  stowed  away, 
Limberleg  climbed  farther  up  the  tree  to 
find  a  place  for  Firetop.  But  he  had  already 
found  one  for  himself  and  was  beginning  to 
make  his  bed.  When  he  was  swung  from 
his  branches  like  a  big  cocoon,  Hawk-Eye 
and  Limberleg  made  themselves  as  com 
fortable  as  they  could  on  the  lower  limbs 
of  the  tree.  The  western  sky  was  all  aflame 
with  yellow  and  red,  as  they  settled  them 
selves  for  the  night,  and  the  birds  sang 
them  to  sleep. 


68 


II 

When  Firetop  opened  his  eyes  the  next 
morning,  he  could  n't  think  where  he  was. 
He  tried  to  flop  over,  as  he  could  so  easily 
do  when  sleeping  on  his  wolf-skins  in  the 
cave.  But  he  found  himself  securely  tied. 
He  lifted  his  head  and  looked  out.  The  sun 
was  just  rising  over  the  blue  hills  across 
the  river.  He  looked  down  through  the 
tree-branches  to  see  his  father  and  mother. 

They  were  not  there !  For  a  moment  he 
69 


thought  perhaps  he  had  dreamed  it  all.  "I 
often  go  to  all  sorts  of  strange  places  when 
I  am  asleep,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  Pretty 
soon  I  '11  wake  up  in  the  cave."  He  waited 
to  wake  up,  but  he  did  n't  wake  up.  He  kept 
right  on  being  out  of  doors  and  up  a  tree, 
and  his  parents  kept  on  being  gone.  Then 
he  remembered  all  about  everything.  He 
called  to  Firefly,  "Are  you  there?"  She 
answered  in  a  sleepy  voice,  "Yes."  "Are 
you  sure?"  Firetop  called  back;  "because 
Father  and  Mother  are  n't." 

"Are  n't  what?  "  said  Firefly,  getting  wider 
awake. 

"Are  n't  there,"  Firetop  answered. 

Firefly  lifted  her  head  and  tried  to  roll 
over.  If  she  had  not  been  tied  she  would 
have  rolled  out  of  bed.  She  looked  down, 
too.  The  branches  were  certainly  empty. 

What  would  you  do  if  you  were  to  wake 
up  in  the  morning  and  find  yourself  tied  in 
bed  and  your  father  and  mother  gone  and 
no  breakfast  ready?  Well,  they  did  just  the 
same  thing!  They  simply  yelled.  They  had 

70 


good  strong  lungs  and  they  made  a  great 
deal  of  noise.  When  they  stopped,  they 
heard  a  distant  shout  that  sounded  like  their 
own.  "  Ovv,  ow,  ow."  It  came  back  to  them 
from  two  different  directions. 

"That's  not  Father's  voice,"  said  Fire- 
top. 

"Nor  Mothers,"  said  Firefly. 

"It's  somebody's.  It  must  be  theirs. 
Let's  call  again,"  said  Firetop. 

They  nearly  split  their  throats  that  time. 
"Ow,  ow,  ow,"  they  screamed,  and  "  Ow, 
ow,  ow,"  came  back  from  the  forest  and  the 
river. 

"It  must  be  the  spirits  of  the  \vater  and 
the  trees,  mocking  us,"  said  Firetop.  "It 
sounded  just  like  us." 

You  see,  they  did  not  know  what  an  echo 
was, 

"I'm  scared,"  said  Firefly. 

"I  am  too,  a  little,"  Firetop  admitted. 

"  Let 's  not  call  any  more.  If  \ve  keep 
still,  maybe  the  spirits  won't  find  us,"  whis 
pered  Firefly. 


They  snuggled  down  in  the  wolf-skins 
and  kept  very  still.  By  and  by  they  heard 
a  crashing  sound  in  the  underbrush  not  far 
away.  They  were  stiff  with  fright.  They 
did  n't  dare  even  to  breathe.  Then  came  a 
loud  cry,  "Hoo,  hoo,  hooooooo,"  and  the 
crashing  noise  came  nearer.  It  came  right 
under  their  tree.  Then  somebody's  voice 
called,  "Are  you  awake,  little  red  foxes,  up 
in  the  tree?" 

Two  red  heads  instantly  popped  over  the 
edge  of  the  tree  beds,  and  two  voices  cried 
out  something  that  meant,  "Oh,  we're  so 
glad  that  you  Ve  come  back." 

Limberleg  climbed  the  tree  and  untied 
the  children.  It  took  them  about  two  sec 
onds  to  get  to  the  ground,  and  they  did  n't 
fall  down  either.  There  under  the  tree  they 
found  Hawk- Eye.  He  was  preparing  break 
fast.  He  and  Limberleg  had  gone  down  to 
the  river-bank  very  early  and  had  found  a 
whole  colony  of  turtles.  They  had  brought 
home  four  turtle-eggs  apiece.  If  I  were  an 
arithmetic,  I  should  ask  how  many  eggs 

73 


there  were!  It  would  have  been  of  no  use 
to  ask  the  Twins.  Neither  they  nor  their 
father  and  mother  could  have  told  you.  They 
had  n't  any  of  them  learned  to  count  that 
far.  Nobody  could  in  those  days. 

They  made  short  work  of  the  eggs,  even 
if  they  could  n't  add  or  multiply  or  divide. 
When  they  had  finished  eating  them,  they 
strapped  their  skins  on  their  shoulders  once 
more  and  started  up  the  river.  All  the  morn 
ing  they  tramped  steadily  along,  looking  for 
a  good  place  to  ford  it.  The  sun  was  al 
ready  in  the  west,  when  suddenly  Limber- 
leg  stopped  at  a  turn  in  the  bluff. 

"See,  see,"  she  cried.  "Two  rivers." 
They  all  stopped  and  looked.  The  river 
forked  at  that  point,  or  rather  two  smaller 
streams  came  together  making  one  big  one. 

There  was  a  high  V-shaped  point  of  land 
between  the  two  streams. 

"Now  we  can  cross,"  cried  Limberleg, 
joyfully.  She  led  the  way,  running  and 
leaping  down  the  bluffs  to  the  river's  edge. 
The  banks  at  this  point  were  sandy  and  the 

74 


•  f  •  "£^5ill^  *•— -  '*1fe^^^pM^^^ 
'--    v:rnrt  ^^^-^ •— ••-  :^^.^^^~-^   « 

1^^  v^>^_.  ^-w^;^          "S^ 

1*r-**^»**^n^,^.i  -\^'-.  ,*,.  ...„ .  ~~->o 

—  • 


river  full  of  stones.  The  current  was  swift, 
but  the  water  was  clear  and  not  very  deep. 
Limberleg  ran  out  on  the  stones. 

"Come,"  she  called  to  the  Twins.  "  Fol 
low  close  after  me."  She  leaped  lightly  over 
the  stones  to  the  middle  of  the  stream,  where 
the  river  was  deepest.  The  children  followed 
part  way;  then  Firetop  stood  still  on  one  of 
the  stones  and  looked  at  the  swirling  water. 

75 


Firefly  was  on  the  next  stone  behind  him. 
The  stone  in  front  looked  a  long  way  off  to 
Firetop. 

"  I  can't  jump  so  far,"  he  squealed. 

"  I  can't  either,"  wailed  Firefly.  "  My 
legs  are  n't  long  enough." 

"Jump,"  cried  Limberleg,  impatiently. 

"We  can't,"  shouted  the  Twins,  begin 
ning  to  cry. 

You  see,  they  were  afraid  of  water,  and 
it  really  was  n't  much  wonder,  for  they  had 
never  even  had  a  real  bath  in  their  whole 
lives.  I  've  known  children  to  feel  just  the 
same  way  about  water  in  these  days.  They 
can't  bear  it,  even  on  a  wash-cloth. 

Hawk- Eye  was  on  the  'stone  behind 
them.  "Jump,"  he  shouted,  "or  I'll  give 
you  something  to  cry  for."  And  that  was 
the  very  first  time  that  any  parent  ever  said 
that  about  giving  them  something  to  cry  for, 
and  they  Ve  been  saying  it  ever  since,  to  my 
personal  knowledge. 

You  see  that,  with  Limberleg  in  front 
calling  "Jump  "  and  Hawk- Eye  behind  say- 

76 


ing  such  alarming  things,  the  Twins  were  in 
a  tight  place.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but 
jump.  So  Firetop  took  a  flying  leap,  and 
Firefly  followed  him.  Unluckily  she  came 
just  a  little  too  soon.  She  jumped  on  to 
Firetop.  His  feet  flew  out  from  under  him, 
he  lost  his  footing  on  the  stone,  and  they 
both  rolled  into  the  cold  water. 

The  crying  they  had  done  before  was  n't 
anything  to  what  they  did  then,  lean  tell 
you.  That  is,  as  soon  as  their  heads  were 
out  of  the  water  again. 

They  might  have  been  carried  away  by 
the  current,  if  Hawk- Eye  had  n't  instantly 
thrown  his  spear  across  to  the  farther  shore 
and  jumped  in  after  them.  He  seized  one  of 
them  with  each  hand  and  waded  with  them 
to  land.  Then  he  picked  up  his  spear  again 
from  the  ground  where  it  had  fallen. 

If  you  will  believe  me,  the  Twins  held 
tight  to  their  own  little  spears  all  the  time, 
even  when  they  were  under  the  water !  It 
was  all  they  had  to  hold  to,  to  be  sure,  and 
besides,  they  loved  those  spears  more  than 

77 


we  love  dolls  and  roller  skates  and  marbles 
and  baseball,  all  put  together. 

Limberleg  laughed  at  the  dripping  little 
figures. 

11  You  look  like  a  pair  of  water-rats,"  she 
cried.  The  Twins  could  not  see  anything 
funny  in  that.  Little  streams  of  water  trickled 
down  their  backs,  and  they  did  n't  like  it. 
The  rock  that  was  on  the  point  of  land 

78 


between  the  two  rivers  was  not  far  away 
from  the  place  where  they  landed. 

"  Let 's  go  to  the  top,"  said  Limberleg  to 
the  Twins.  "That  will  warm  you  up." 

It  was  quite  a  steep  climb,  and  I  wish  you 
could  see  what  they  saw  from  that  summit. 
They  could  look  a  long  way  up  each  of  the 
two  rivers  and  a  long  way  down  the  big  one. 
There  were  deep,  silent  woods  along  the 
shores.  They  looked  back  on  the  land  be 
tween  the  two  streams.  They  were  all  be 
ginning  to  be  hungry  again  by  this  time, 
and  they  hoped  that  they  might  see  their 
supper  wandering  about  somewhere  over 
the  rocks. 

"  We'll  see  who  has  the  sharpest  eyes," 
said  Limberleg. 

"  I  see  something  white  right  now,  way 
down  there  in  the  bushes,"  said  Firefly. 
"  It 's  bouncing  around." 

"  I  see  it,  too,"  said  Hawk-Eye.  "It 's  the 
tail  of  a  deer.  There  's  a  herd  down  there ! " 
Hawk- Eye  started  down  the  rocks  in  a 
hurry.  "I'll  not  be  gone  long,"  he  called 

79 


back  to  Limberleg.   "  Get  a  fire  started  be 
fore  I  come  back." 

Limberleg  and  the  Twins  watched  Hawk- 
Eye  until  he  disappeared  in  the  underbrush. 
Then  she  and  the  children  began  to  gather 
wood  for  the  fire.  Firetop  found  a  piece 
of  hard  wood  that  was  round.  Limberleg 
pointed  the  end  of  it  with  her  flint  knife. 
Then  they  hunted  for  a  piece  of  soft  wood. 
In  the  soft  wood  Limberleg  made  a  little 
hollow  place  that  would  fit  the  end  of  the 
stick. 

"  Now,  Firefly,  you  stay  with  me,"  said 
she.  "  I  want  you  to  gather  little  tendrils  of 
dry  moss  and  watch  beside  me  while  I  twirl 
the  stick.  The  moment  I  tell  you  to,  you 
must  drop  little  pieces  of  dry  moss  into  the 
hollow  place  in  the  wood.  Firetop,  you 
gather  a  great  heap  of  sticks  here  on  top  of 
the  rock."  Limberleg  knelt  on  the  edge 
of  the  rock  and  began  to  twirl  the  stick  be 
tween  her  hands.  As  she  twirled,  she  mum 
bled  a  prayer  to  the  fire  god. 

Firefly  held  the  soft  wood  firmly  in  place 
80 


while  Limberleg  worked.  She  twirled  and 
twirled  until  a  tiny  thread  of  smoke  began 
to  curl  from  the  hollow.  "  Drop  in  the 
moss,"  cried  Limberleg.  The  smoke  grew 
thicker.  Limberleg  worked  faster  and  faster. 
Soon  a  tiny  flame  burst  forth.  Firefly  fed 
the  flame  with  the  dried  moss  until  it  was 
big  enough  to  burn  little  twigs  and  dead 
leaves.  Soon  a  brisk  fire  was  burning. 
Firetop  had  brought  a  great  pile  of  wood 

81 


to  the  rock,  and  had  also  found  some  long 
willow  branches  to  use  in  broiling  meat. 

11  The  fire  is  ready,  but  where  is  the 
food?"  said  Firefly.  It  was  not  long  in 
coming.  Hawk- Eye  soon  appeared  climb 
ing  up  the  rock  with  a  young  doe  on  his 
shoulder.  He  and  Limberleg  skinned  it 
and  cut  up  the  meat,  and  they  had  all  the 
broiled  venison  they  could  possibly  eat  for 
supper. 

"  We  shall  have  to  spend  the  night 
here,"  said  Hawk-Eye,  when  they  could  n't 
eat  any  more.  "  We  couldn't  find  a  better 
place  anyway.  There  is  water  around  the 
rock  except  on  the  land  side.  We'll  keep 
the  fire  bright,  and  we  shall  be  just  as  safe 
as  if  we  were  in  the  cave." 

Hawk-Eye  spread  the  fire  in  a  long  line 
across  the  land  side  of  the  rock.  He  built 
a  sort  of  wall  of  sticks  and  branches  to  feed 
it,  and  all  night  long  it  blazed  and  smoul 
dered.  They  spread  their  skins  on  the  rock 
and  slept  peacefully  in  its  warm  glow. 

The  next  morning  dawned  bright  and 
82 


clear,  and  the  whole  family  got  up  with  the 
birds.  They  had  more  venison  for  break 
fast,  and  when  that  was  out  of  the  way, 
Hawk-Eye  said:  "  We  'd  better  get  across 
the  other  river  early.  There  's  no  telling 
how  far  we  may  have  to  go  to-day,  or  what 
we  may  find  on  the  way." 

"  I  hate  to  leave  this  place,"  cried  Fire 
fly,  "it's  so  beautiful,  and  I  am  sure  there 
is  lots  of  game  here." 

"  I  hate  to  leave  the  doe-skin  behind," 
said  Limberleg,  "  but  of  course  I  can't  dry 
and  stretch  and  cure  it  while  we  are  travel 
ing." 

"We  can  carry  enough  meat  to  last  us 
all  day,"  said  Hawk-Eye,  "and  that  will 
save  lots  of  time.  We  won't  have  to  stop 
to  hunt  for  our  dinner." 

He  tied  a  great  piece  of  meat  over  the 
shoulders  of  Firetop  and  Firefly  and  Lim 
berleg,  and  took  the  biggest  piece  on  his 
'  own  back,  and  off  they  started. 


III 

It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  you  all 
about  what  a  time  they  had  getting  across 
the  river.  It  was  deeper  than  the  first  one 
they  crossed,  and  if  it  had  n't  been  for  a 
lucky  accident,  they  might  never  have  got 
across  at  all.  When  they  came  to  the 
water's  edge,  Firetop  saw  some  turtles  sun 
ning  themselves  on  a  log  a  little  way  down 
the  stream.  The  log  had  floated  down  the 

84 


river  and  had  caught  against  a  dead  branch 
that  stuck  out  of  the  water.  They  were  not 
so  afraid  of  the  water  now  they  had  really 
been  in  it. 

Firetop  thought  it  would  be  great  fun  to 
catch  a  turtle.  He  pointed  them  out  to 
Firefly.  "  Come  on,"  was  all  he  said,  but 
she  knew  what  it  meant,  and  at  once  the 
two  children  waded  quietly  out  toward  the 
log.  Wading  in  was  altogether  different 
from  having  to  tumble  in,  anyway.  The 
turtles  saw  them  coming,  and  just  as  the 
Twins  reached  the  log,  they  slid  off  into 
the  water.  One  of  them  found  one  of  Fire- 
top's  big  toes  in  the  mud,  and  bit  it. 

Firetop  screamed  and  tried  to  get  away. 
Firefly  did  n't  know  what  was  the  matter, 
but  she  screamed  too  on  general  principles, 
and  they  both  grabbed  at  the  log  and  tried 
to  climb  on  to  it.  The  log  rolled  over  and 
got  loose  from  the  branch  that  held  it  and 
started  down-stream,  with  both  children 
clinging  to  it  and  yelling.  They  could  n't 
get  up  on  it  because  it  kept  turning  over, 

85 


but  they  held  on  because  it  was  the  only 
thing  there  was  to  hold  on  to,  and  Firetop 
kept  kicking  with  all  his  might  to  get  away 
from  the  turtle.  Firefly  did  some  kicking, 
too,  because  she  was  trying  to  find  the  bot 
tom  with  her  feet  and  there  wasn't  any 
bottom  there.  The  current  was  not  very 
swift  at  this  point,  and  though  they  did  n't 
know  it,  the  children  were  really  swimming 
with  their  legs,  and  they  made  the  log  go 
toward  the  other  shore. 

While  all  of  this  was  happening,  where 
do  you  suppose  Hawk-Eye  and  Limberleg 
were?  They  were  chasing  after  them  as 
fast  as  they  could  go,  but  the  children  had 

86 


quite  a  start  and  got  farther  away  every  min 
ute.  The  water  was  almost  over  Limber- 
leg's  head,  and  you  know  how  hard  it  is  to 
walk  in  deep  water.  Besides,  they  had  the 
meat.  The  meat  that  the  Twins  were  carry 
ing  got  loose  in  their  struggles  and  fell  off 
in  the  water.  Perhaps  the  turtle  saw  it  and 
decided  that  it  was  better  eating  than  Fire- 
top's  toe,  or  maybe  he  got  homesick.  I 
can't  tell  about  that,  but  anyway  he  let  go. 
The  Twins  kept  on  reaching  for  the  bottom 
and  kicking  with  all  their  might  and  scream 
ing,  too,  and  before  long  the  log  ran  its  nose 
into  the  farther  bank  and  they  seized  the 
branches  of  a  willow  tree  that  hung  over  the 
water  and  pulled  themselves  up  on  the  shore. 
In  a  moment  Hawk-Eye  and  Limberleg 
came  tearing  up  the  river-bank  to  them. 
They  had  come  straight  across  the  river, 
while  the  children  had  been  carried  some 
distance  by  the  current.  You  can  just  think 
how  glad  they  all  were  when  they  found 
that  they  were  across  and  not  a  single  one 
of  them  had  been  drowned. 

87 


When  Firetop  told  about  the  turtle, 
Hawk-Eye  laughed  and  laughed.  Limber- 
leg  laughed  a  little,  too.  Firetop  felt  pretty 
sorry  for  himself,  but  he  was  n't  really 
hurt,  and  in  half  an  hour  he  had  forgotten 
to  limp. 


V 
THE  TREE  CLAN 


V 
THE  TREE  CLAN 

THEY  walked  a  little  way  along  the  bank, 
looking  for  a  good  place  to  cross  the  flat, 
green  meadow  that  lay  between  the  river 
and  the  forest.  Soon  they  came  to  a  sort  of 
path  which  led  back  into  the  woods.  Hawk- 
Eye  looked  at  it  very  carefully.  He  even 
got  down  and  examined  the  wet  ground  at 
the  water's  edge.  In  the  mud  there  were 
foot-prints. 

"  Is  n't  it  a  drinking-place  for  the  wild 
creatures?"  asked  Limberleg. 

Hawk-Eye  grunted.  "  Like  ourselves," 
he  answered  briefly.  "  There  are  people 
living  in  these  woods.  That 's  the  print  of 
a  man's  foot." 

Limberleg  looked  just  as  she  would  have 
looked  if  he  had  said,  " There's  a  pack  of 
hyenas  living  in  those  woods."  There  was 

89 


reason  for  it  in  those  days.  The  different 
groups  of  people  in  the  forests  had  nothing 
to  do  with  one  another,  and  when  they  met, 
they  were  much  more  likely  to  fight  than  to 
be  friendly. 

11  Can't  we  go  up  the  river-bank  and  not 
go  into  the  woods  at  all?"  asked  Limber- 
leg.  For  answer  Hawk-Eye  pointed  down 
the  river.  Far  away  in  the  green  meadow 
they  saw  two  mammoths  feeding.  Even  at 
that  distance  they  looked  like  giant  rocks 
looming  out  of  the  grass.  Their  long  ivory 
tusks  gleamed  in  the  sun. 

"We  can't  go  that  way,"  said  Limber- 
leg,  "and  it's  no  use  to  go  back." 

"  We  '11  go  up  the  path  to  the  edge  of  the 
wood,  then  follow  the  river,"  said  Hawk- 
Eye.  "  Maybe  no  one  will  see  us.  It's  the 
best  we  can  do.  Be  quiet  and  be  quick." 

He  set  off  at  a  swift  trot,  his  spear  in  his 
hand.  The  two  children  followed  with  their 
mother. 

"I  see  shadows  moving  in  the  trees," 
said  Firefly.  Both  twins  wished  very  much 

90 


that  they  were  at  home  with  Grannie  just 
at  that  moment. 

"  They  are  following  us/higher  up  on  the 
bluff,"  Limberleg  answered  in  a  low  voice. 

Hawk- Eye  had  seen  all  that  they  had 
seen,  and  more,  but  he  said  nothing. 

He  trotted  on.  Just  then  a  chunk  of 
mud  and  dirt  came  flying  through  the  air 
and  struck  Hawk-Eye  on  the  head.  Stones, 
sticks,  and  all  sorts  of  missiles  followed. 

"Keep  on  running,"  said  Hawk-Eye. 
91 


They  were  terribly  frightened,  but  they 
did  as  they  were  told.  If  they  had  looked 
up,  they  would  have  seen  a  terrifying  sight. 
On  the  edge  of  the  bluff  there  was  a  strange 
group  of  people.  At  least  we  must  call  them 
"people,"  though  they  looked  more  like 
monkeys  than  like  human  beings.  They 
were  grinning  horribly  and  dancing  about 
and  chattering  to  each  other.  Their  bodies 
were  covered  \vith  dark  hair.  Their  arms 
were  long  and  strong,  their  legs  short.  They 
had  little  eyes  set  near  together,  and  almost 
no  forehead  at  all.  Every  one  of  them  had 
something  in  his  hand  to  throw  at  the  trav 
elers. 

Hawk-Eye  kept  straight  on.  "Run,"  he 
cried.  "  We  can't  fight;  they  are  too  many." 

On,  on  they  ran,  panting  and  breathless. 
A  little  way  ahead  there  were  some  large 
rocks  on  the  edge  of  the  wood.  There  they 
might  find  a  momentary  shelter.  They  had 
almost  reached  the  rocks,  when  suddenly 
a  \voman  of  the  wild  tribe  let  herself  down 
out  of  a  tree  on  the  edge  of  the  bluff  and 

92 


made  a  bold  dash  down  the  slope.  Before 
they  could  stop  her,  she  had  seized  Fire 
fly  and  dragged  her  away.  She  got  as  far 
as  the  first  oak  tree  on  the  slope  and  had 
actually  snatched  a  limb,  intending  to  swing 
herself  and  Firefly  into  it,  when  Limberleg, 
screaming  with  fury,  reached  the  spot.  Lim 
berleg  seized  Firefly  by  one  arm.  The  wild 
woman  had  hold  of  the  other. 

93 


They  pulled  in  opposite  directions  and 
screamed,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  Hawk- 
Eye,  there 's  no  telling  what  might  have  be 
come  of  poor  Firefly.  She  might  have  been 
pulled  in  two,  or  she  might  have  been  car 
ried  off  and  adopted  into  the  wild  clan.  But 
Hawk-Eye  was  there  in  almost  no  time, 
and  though  the  people  on  the  bluff  rained 
down  sticks  and  stones  upon  them,  Hawk- 
Eye  drove  his  spear  into  the  woman's  arm. 
With  a  shriek  of  pain  she  let  go  of  Firefly 
and  dashed  away  into  the  forest. 

"Run  for  your  lives,"  cried  Hawk-Eye, 
and  they  started  again  at  top  speed  for  the 
rocks.  They  reached  them  none  too  soon, 
for  the  people  on  the  bluff,  infuriated  by  the 
injury  to  the  woman,  came  dashing  down 
the  slope  after  them.  Once  in  the  shelter  of 
the  rocks,  Hawk- Eye  turned  and  faced  his 
pursuers.  When  they  had  almost  reached 
his  hiding-place  he  gave  a  fierce  yell  and 
threw  his  spear.  It  was  a  very  well  made 
spear  with  a  bone  barb  on  the  end,  and  it 
struck  the  leader  of  the  wild  tribe  in  the 

94 


thigh.  With  a  shriek  of  pain  he  fell  to  the 
ground.  Then  he  seized  the  spear  and  pulled 
it  out  of  his  flesh. 

The  wild  tribe  had  no  weapons  but  sticks 
and  stones.  They  were  tree-dwellers.  They 
did  not  even  know  the  secret  of  fire.  They 
lived  upon  roots  and  berries  and  nuts,  and 
such  small  game  as  they  could  catch  with 
their  hands  or  in  snares.  Their  homes  were 
rude  shelters  in  the  trees.  When  they  saw 
what  had  happened  to  their  leader,  they 
were  terribly  frightened.  They  turned  and 
ran  for  the  trees,  leaving  the  wounded  man 
on  the  ground. 

Hawk- Eye  ran  out  from  behind  the  rock, 
picked  up  his  spear,  and  sent  it  flying  after 
the  enemy.  It  struck  another  man.  Howl 
ing  with  pain  and  fear,  he  too  dropped  in 
his  tracks.  His  companions  ran  faster  than 
ever,  and  when  they  reached  the  trees,  in 
stantly  swung  themselves  up  by  the  branches 
and  disappeared.  Only  now  and  then  one 
could  be  seen  swinging  from  tree  to  tree, 
back  into  the  deep  forest,  like  great  mon- 

95  ' 


I 


keys.  Hawk-Eye  again  ran  after  his  spear. 
This  time  he  pulled  it  out  of  the  wounded 
man's  flesh  himself,  and  left  him  rolling  on 
the  ground,  too  much  hurt  to  attack  him  or 
defend  himself.  Then  Hawk-Eye  ran  back 
to  the  little  group  hidden  behind  the  rock. 

Everything  was  now  as  quiet  as  if  no 
one  lived  in  the  forest  at  all.  There  was 
not  a  single  tree-dweller  in  sight  except  the 
first  wounded  man,  and  he  was  already 
crawling  as  fast  as  he  could  up  the  bluff. 

In  spite  of  everything,  Hawk-Eye  and 
Limberleg  had  held  on  to  their  meat,  and 
now  they  felt  the  need  of  food.  They  cut 
Limberleg's  load  into  four  great  chunks,  and 
each  took  one.  They  ate  as  they  \valked. 
They  ran  along  past  the  place  where  the 
mammoths  were  feeding  and  then  turned 
their  backs  on  the  river  and  plunged  into 
the  deep  forest  toward  the  east.  The  ground 
began  to  rise  a  little,  and  Hawk-Eye  said, 
"  If  we  keep  on  climbing  in  the  direction  of 
the  rising  sun,  we  are  bound  to  reach  the 
blue  hills  at  last." 

96 


: 


•  JT 


All  that  day  they  journeyed,  and  that 
night  they  spent  in  a  tree.  The  next  morn 
ing  found  them  still  climbing.  At  last,  about 
noon  of  the  second  day,  they  reached  the 
crest  of  the  range  and  climbed  out  upon  the 
high,  bald  summit  of  the  highest  hill. 

97 


No  one  of  their  clan  had  ever  been  so 
far  from  the  cave,  and  no  one  of  them  had 
ever  seen  what  Hawk- Eye  and  Limberleg 
and  the  Twins  now  saw.  There  was  the 
world  spread  out  before  them !  They  looked 
back  far  away  in  the  blue  distance  toward 
the  west,  and  there  they  saw  a  little  silver 
thread.  That  silver  thread  was  their  river. 
They  looked  toward  the  south,  and  far,  far 
away  they  saw  more  water  than  they  had 
ever  dreamed  there  was  in  the  whole  earth. 
They  did  n't  know  what  it  was.  They  were 
not  even  sure  that  it  was  water.  They  had 
never  heard  of  the  sea.  They  stood  silent 
and  breathless  with  wonder  and  gazed  at 
it.  At  last  Hawk-Eye  said  in  an  awestruck 
tone,  "It's  the  end  of  the  world/' 

"  Let 's  go  to  the  very  edge  and  look  over 
it,"  said  Limberleg.  "  Maybe  we  can  find 
out  where  the  sun  hides  during  the  dark 
ness." 

You  see  what  a  brave  woman  she  was. 

"Then  are  these  the  blue  hills?"  asked 
Firetop.  "  They  don't  look  blue  a  bit." 

98 


"  The  bliifeness  is  all  around  us,  though," 
cried  Firefly,  pointing  down  into  the  valley. 
"And  beyond  the  end  of  the  world,  it's  all 
blue  too,  with  sparkles  on  it !  And  the  sky 
is  blue.  The  only  place  that  is  n't  blue  is 
right  around  us." 

"We  will  surely  go  through  the  blue 
99 


country  to  get  to  the  end  of  the  world 
then,"  said  Firetop.  . 

All  this  time  Hawk- Eye  had  been  stand 
ing  on  the  highest  point,  studying  the  view 
and  choosing  landmarks.  He  knew  how  to 
find  his  way  through  forests  as  well  as  we 
know  the  way  to  the  post-office.  When  he 
had  the  route  all  planned  out,  he  called  the 
children  and  Limberleg  to  his  side.  He 
pointed  to  the  south.  "  Do  you  see  far 
away  that  little  neck  of  land  which  leads 
out  to  the  very  end  of  the  world  ?  "  he  said. 
"We  will  keep  the  sun  on  this  side  of  us 
the  first  half  of  the  day  and  on  the  other 
side  the  other  half  of  the  day  and  we  shall 
surely  reach  it.  Then  we  shall  see  what  lies 
beyond." 

Hawk-Eye  led  the  way  over  the  crest 
of  the  hill  and  down  into  the  forest  below, 
the  Twins  and  Limberleg  close  behind  him. 
All  day  they  pressed  on,  over  hills,  through 
dense  woods,  and  across  little  streams, 
keeping  always  to  the  south.  At  last  they 
found  the  narrow  neck  of  land  which  they 

100 


had  seen  from  the  hill-top.  They  camped 
that  night  in  a  tree,  near  the  water's  edge, 
and,  at  night-fall  of  the  second  day  after, 
they  climbed  the  last  weary  mile  and  stood 
upon  the  great  rocks  at  the  end  of  the  world. 

A  stream  of  fresh  water  poured  through 
a  deep  gorge  beside  them. 

Toward  the  east  and  toward  the  west, 
farther  than  their  eyes  could  see,  stretched 
the  dark  blue  waters.  Toward  the  north 
they  could  look  clear  across  the  island  to 
the  distant  shore  of  the  mainland.  We  know 
now  that  they  stood  on  the  southern  coast 
of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  that  the  faint  blue 
line  across  the  water  would  some  day  be 
called  France.  But  the  Twins  and  their 
father  and  mother  thought  that  they  stood 
on  the  very  edge  of  the  earth  and  looked  out 
into  mysterious  regions  which  lay  beyond. 

As  they  stood  gazing,  the  western  sky 
flamed  with  red  and  gold  and  the  sun  sank 
out  of  sight  behind  a  distant  point  of  land. 
High  up  in  the  east  the  pale  round  disk 
of  the  moon  hung  in  the  deep  blue  of  the 

101 


sky.  It  was  more  wonderful  than  they  had 
dreamed. 

"  To-morrow,  if  we  wake  early,  we  shall 
see  where  the  sun  comes  from,"  said  Lim- 
berleg. 

They  sat  on  the  rocks  and  watched  the 
stars  come  out  and  saw  the  moon  sail  away 
to  the  west,  and  then,  when  they  were  too 
weary  to  stay  awake  longer,  they  spread 
their  skins  on  the  rocks  and  slept  under  the 
open  sky,  with  the  boom  of  the  surf  for  a 
lullaby. 


VI 

THE  EARTHQUAKE 


\ 

\ ,   \  \    \  \ 


VI 

THE  EARTHQUAKE 
i 

THEY  slept  so  soundly  that  they  did  not 
hear  low  rolling  sounds  of  thunder  or  see 
the  moon  go  out  of  sight  behind  a  black 
cloud.  Even  lightning  did  not  rouse  them, 
but  when  at  last  the  rain  came  splashing 
down  over  their  bare  skins  they  woke  up. 
There  was  no  shelter  for  them,  so  they  hud 
dled  together  in  a  wet  heap  and  waited  for 
the  rain  to  be  over  and  for  the  morning  to 
come.  It  was  no  gentle  spring  shower. 

The  water  poured  down  like  a  deluge. 
They  were  very  wretched,  and  Firefly  be 
gan  to  cry. 

"Now,  see  here,"  Limberleg  said  to 
her,  "there  's  water  enough  already  !  You 
need  n't  add  your  tears,  or  we  shall  all  be 

'103 


drowned  !  The  rain  will  be  over  some  time. 
It  won't  hurt  you." 

When  the  lightning  flashed,  they  could 
see  the  trees  waving  and  bending  in  the 
wind  and  great  breakers  rolling  up  over  the 
sandy  beach. 

But  the  rain  was  n't  the  worst  that  was  to 
happen.  After  a  while  there  came  a  strange 
shivering  feeling  in  the  rocks  beneath  them. 
It  grew  stronger  and  stronger  till  the  whole 
earth  shook  and  trembled. 

Hawk-Eye  and  Limberleg  had  felt  earth 
quakes  before,  but  never  one  like  this.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  world  were  shaking  itself 
to  pieces.  They  huddled  closer  together  and 
clasped  their  arms  around  the  Twins. 

"Oh,"  shrieked  Limberleg,  "the  water 
gods  are  angry  because  we  tried  to  find  out 
the  secret  of  the  sun!  "  She  and  Hawk-Eye 
prayed  to  them  at  the  top  of  their  lungs. 
"  Spare  us,  oh,  spare  us,"  they  cried. 

As  they  prayed,  there  came  a  long,  fear 
ful  cracking  noise,  and  the  sound  of  falling 
rocks.  It  was  as  if  the  thunder  had  fallen  to 

104 


the  earth  and  were  rumbling  round  over  it. 
A  gigantic  wave  came  roaring  against  the 
rocks  as  if  it  would  dash  them  to  pieces. 

The  Twins  burrowed  their  heads  in  their 
mother's  lap,  and  shook  almost  as  if  they 
were  having  little  earthquakes  of  their  own. 

The  great  wave  marked  the  crest  of  the 
storm.  After  that  the  winds  grew  gradually 
less  violent,  the  rain  ceased,  and  the  waves 
crept  farther  and  farther  away  down  the 
beach. 

The  earth  ceased  its  trembling.  The 
clouds  rolled  away  like  great  curtains,  and 
the  thunder  went  grumbling  off  toward  the 
west. 

When  the  gray  dawn  came  stealing  over 
the  wet  earth  and  the  birds  began  to  sing, 
Limberleg  raised  her  head. 

"  Look,"  she  said,  "and  listen  !  The  birds 
are  singing!  I  thought  the  world  had  come 
to  an  end,  but  it  is  still  here,  and  ^so  are 
we." 

Then  they  all  opened  their  eyes,  which 
they  had  kept  shut  for  terror.  A  wonderful 


sight  met  them  !  Over  the  water  toward  the 
east  the  sky  was  blushing  like  a  rose.  Little 
pink  clouds  were  hurrying  away  to  lose 
themselves  in  the  blue  sky.  Then  the  great 
fiery  red  disk  of  the  sun  rose  slowly  out  of 
the  water ! 

They  watched  it  in  awed  silence  as  it 
climbed  higher  and  higher  into  the  blue. 
Then,  trembling  again  with  fear,  the  little 
group  of  watchers  prostrated  themselves 
before  it  in  a  blind  impulse  of  worship. 

When  the  sun  was  out  of  the  water  and 
up  again  in  its  regular  place  in  the  sky,  all 
nature  seemed  so  gay  and  joyous  that  the 
Twins  and  their  father  and  mother  forgot 
the  fears  of  the  night,  and  began  to  think 
about  breakfast.  They  found  it  in  the  hol 
low  of  a  rock  far  down  the  gorge. 

The  giant  wave  which  had  so  frightened 
them,  had  left  a  fish  flapping  about  in  a  little 
pool  of  water.  When  she  saw  it,  Limberleg 
shouted:  "The  water  gods  aren't  angry, 
after  all !  See,  they  have  sent  us  a  fine  fish 
for  our  breakfast!  " 

1 06 


Hawk-Eye  quickly  climbed  down  the 
steep  rocks  to  the  pool,  caught  the  fish  with 
his  hands,  killed  it,  and  brought  it  back  to 
Limberleg  and  the  Twins. 

While  they  were  eating  it,  Limberleg 
seemed  to  be  thinking  hard.  She  was  n't 
used  to  thinking,  and  she  screwed  up  her  face 
almost  as  if  it  hurt  her.  At  last  she  said: 
"  Listen  to  me !  We  now  know  what  no  one 
else  in  the  world  knows.  We  have  found  out 
what  lies  beyond  the  blue  hills.  We  have 
gone  to  the  end  of  the  world  and  have 
looked  over  the  edge,  and  have  discovered 
the  secret  of  the  sun !  We  alone  know  that 
it  hides  beneath  the  waters  during  the  dark 
ness.  There  is  no  more  for  us  to  learn. 
Perhaps  it  would  not  be  safe  to  know  more, 
even  if  there  were  more  to  know !  Let  us 
go  home/' 

"  There  is  more  to  be  learned  about  the 
hunting,"  said  Hawk-Eye. 

"  We  can  find  that  out  on  our  way  back," 
said  Limberleg. 

"If  there  are  going  to  be  any  more  earth- 
107 


quakes,  I'd  rather  be  in  the  cave  anyway," 
said  Firefly.  "Besides,  I  don't  like  the  rain 
pouring  over  me.  It 's  as  bad  as  falling  in 
the  river." 

Firetop  said:  "  I  'd  like  to  get  back  to  tell 
Squaretoes  what  I  've  seen.  He 's  all  the 
time  telling  about  the  wonderful  things  he 
can  do.  He 's  never  seen  the  tree-people 
nor  had  an  earthquake  in  his  whole  life.  I 
guess  I  can  make  his  eyes  stick  out." 

Hawk-Eye  said  nothing,  but  he  picked 
up  the  wet  skins,  shook  them,  bound  them 
with  thongs,  and  tied  them  to  the  shoulders 
of  the  others.  Then  each  took  his  own 
weapons  and  they  were  ready  to  start. 

ii 

From  the  point  where  they  had  spent  the 
night,  a  chain  of  hills  ran  back  inland.  They 
followed  these  hills  to  the  north  for  some 
miles  and  then,  still  keeping  to  the  hill-tops, 
turned  toward  the  west.  In  the  late  afternoon, 
under  Hawk-Eye's  skillful  leadership,  they 
came  again  to  the  place  where  they  had 

108 


crossed  the  isthmus  that  connected  them 
with  the  mainland. 

Hawk- Eye  was  some  distance  ahead  of 
the  others  when  he  came  out  upon  the  high 
bluff  that  overlooked  the  channel  and  the 
isthmus.  Suddenly  he  stopped  with  a  cry 
of  astonishment  and  stood  still,  his  eyes 
staring. 

Limberleg  and  the  Twins  rushed  to  his 
side. 

4 'What  is  the  matter?"  they  cried.  For 
answer  Hawk-Eye  only  pointed.  Before 
them  there  was  nothing  but  open  water!  A 
whole  section  of  the  neck  of  land  which  they 
had  crossed  only  the  day  before  had  been 
swallowed  up  by  the  sea ! 

Where  it  had  been,  a  mile  of  blue  water 
now  sparkled  in  the  sun!  They  were  com 
pletely  shut  off  from  the  main  land.  When 
she  realized  what  had  happened,  Limberleg 
sat  heavily  down  on  a  log. 

"The  world  is  n't  the  same  after  all,"  she 
cried.  "It's  broken!  Part  of  it  has  sunk 
beneath  the  waters!" 

109 


"  Won't  it  ever  get  mended?"  asked  Fire 
fly  anxiously. 

<4  Shan't  we  ever  get  back  to  the  cave, 
then?"  cried  Firetop. 

"No,"  sobbed  Limberleg.  "We'll  have 
to  stay  here  till  we  die." 

Firefly  whimpered  a  little  and  crept  close 
to  her  mother  on  the  log,  but  Firetop  noticed 
that  his  father  was  n't  crying,  so  he  swal 
lowed  several  large  lumps  in  his  throat  and 


no 


sat  up  straight.  For  some  time  they  stayed 
on  the  bluff  and  looked  down  the  steep 
banks  of  broken  earth  and  rocks  into  the 
deep  water  below. 

Great  logs  were  floating  about  and  huge 
trees,  uprooted  from  the  banks,  were  lying 
with  their  tops  in  the  water. 

At  last  Limberleg  said  in  a  discouraged 
voice,  "Well,  what  shall  we  do?" 

"The  first  thing  to  do,"  said  Hawk-Eye, 
"is  to  go  down  to  the  beach  and  see  what 
we  can  find  to  eat." 

Beyond  the  steep  cliffs  on  which  they 
stood  there  was  a  bay  with  a  wide  beach. 
Beyond  the  bay  great  rocks  extended  in  a 
chain  out  into  the  water.  If  you  have  been 
to  England,  you  may  have  passed  those 
very  rocks.  They  are  called  "The  Needles." 

Hawk-Eye  and  Limberleg  and  the  Twins 
climbed  down  to  the  beach.  They  were  so 
hungry  that  they  were  almost  ready  to  eat 
sand  and  pebbles,  like  chickens,  if  they  could 
find  nothing  else. 

But  there  was  plenty  of  seaweed  on  the 
in 


beach  and  they  found  little  mussels  clinging 
to  it.  They  ate  both  the  seaweed  and  the 
mussels,  as  they  walked  along. 

"See  all  the  little  holes  in  the  sand," 
cried  Firetop,  when  they  were  quite  far 
out  on  the  beach.  "  Water  spurts  out  of 
them  every  time  I  step." 

41  Let  fs  dig  down  and  see  what  does  it," 
said  Firefly.  "  Maybe  it's  something  good 


to  eat.' 


112 


They  took  a  large  shell  and  scraped  away 
the  sand.  They  had  never  seen  clams  be 
fore,  and  Firefly  got  her  finger  pinched. 
Hawk-Eye  opened  a  shell  and  ate  one. 
He  smacked  his  lips,  and  then  he  said, 
"  Dig  as  many  as  you  can,  while  I  make  a 
fire.  Our  supper  is  right  here." 

The  Twins  worked  like  beavers,  while 
Hawk-Eye  and  Limberleg  made  a  drift 
wood  fire  far  back  on  the  beach  in  a  shel 
tered  place  near  the  cliffs. 

Then  Limberleg  made  a  bed  of  seaweed 
in  the  coals  and  put  in  the  clams  as  fast 
as  the  children  brought  them  up  from  the 
sand.  They  must  have  steamed  at  least  half 
a  bushel !  They  ate  every  one,  and  I  am 
quite  sure  this  was  the  very  first  clam-bake 
that  any  one  ever  had  in  this  world. 

As  they  rested  beside  the  fire  after  sup 
per,  warmed  and  fed,  they  began  to  feel 
more  cheerful.  Hawk-Eye  said:  " Any 
way,  we  shall  never  be  hungry  while  we 
stay  here.  Perhaps  we  shall  like  it  just  as 
well  as  we  liked  our  forest  cave/' 

"3 


Then  Limberleg  had  a  happy  thought. 
"Do  you  know,"  she  said,  "  I  believe  the 
water  gods  were  lonesome  and  are  glad 
that  we  came !  They  don't  want  us  to  go 
away  again,  and  so  they  made  the  piece 
of  land  fall  into  the  water  to  keep  us  here ! 
You  remember  about  that  fish  !  I  'm  not 
afraid.  I  think  they  mean  to  take  care  of 
us." 

And  that  was  such  a  comforting  thought 
that  they  went  to  sleep  and  slept  soundly 
all  night  beside  their  drift-wood  fire. 


VII 

THE  ISLAND 


- 


VII 

THE  ISLAND 

i 

IF  I  were  to  tell  you  all  the  things  that  the 
Twins  and  their  father  and  mother  did  on 
that  island,  it  would  make  a  book  as  big 
as  the  dictionary;  so  I  can  only  tell  you  a 
very  little  about  the  wonderful  days  that 
followed.  In  the  first  place,  they  soon  found 
out  that  it  was  a  wonderful  island.  Small 
as  it  was,  it  had  the  most  astonishing  things 
in  it. 

There  were  great  cliffs  and  jagged  rocks 
along  its  coast  in  some  places,  and  there 
were  beautiful  broad  sandy  beaches  right 
next  to  them.  The  waves  had  washed 
holes  clear  through  some  of  these  great 
rocks  and  left  them  standing  there  like 
huge  ruins. 

The  beaches  were  covered  with  star-fish 
"5 


VII 
THE  ISLAND 

i 

IF  I  were  to  tell  you  all  the  things  that  the 
Twins  and  their  father  and  mother  did  on 
that  island,  it  would  make  a  book  as  big 
as  the  dictionary;  so  I  can  only  tell  you  a 
very  little  about  the  wonderful  days  that 
followed.  In  the  first  place,  they  soon  found 
out  that  it  was  a  wonderful  island.  Small 
as  it  was,  it  had  the  most  astonishing  things 
in  it 

There  were  great  cliffs  and  jagged  rocks 
along  its  coast  in  some  places,  and  there 
were  beautiful  broad  sandy  beaches  right 
next  to  them.  The  waves  had  washed 
holes  clear  through  some  of  these  great 
rocks  and  left  them  standing  there  like 
huge  ruins. 

The  beaches  were  covered  with  star-fish 

"5 


and  beautiful  shells  and  seaweed  and  crabs 
and  jelly-fish  and  stones  of  all  colors.  The 
Twins  found  something  new  every  time 
they  played  there. 

Inland  there  were  hills  and  valleys  with 
sparkling  streams  of  clear  water  running 
through  them.  There  were  sunny  open 
meadows  where  bison  grazed.  In  the  woods 
there  were  deer  and  small  game  of  all 
kinds,  but  though  Hawk- Eye  went  every 
where  in  the  days  that  followed  the  earth 
quake,  he  never  saw  a  sign  of  a  cave  bear 
or  of  tigers  or  lions,  or  any  of  the  more 
savage  beasts  which  made  life  in  their  old 
home  so  full  of  terror. 

Neither  did  he  find  a  trace  of  any  other 
human  beings. 

The  season  was  early  on  the  warm  south 
ern  side  of  the  island.  The  wild  fruit  trees 
were  already  in  blossom,  making  the  air 
sweet  with  fragrance,  and  giving  promise 
of  fruit  later  on. 

There  were  all  sorts  of  wild  flowers  and 
all  kinds  of  trees  in  the  woods,  and  every - 

116 


thing  was  so  beautiful  and  seemed  so  safe 
that  it  was  easy  to  believe,  as  Limberleg 
said,  that  the  water  gods  did  mean  to  take 
care  of  them. 


ii 

One  day  when  Hawk-Eye  and  Limber- 
leg  had  gone  deer-hunting,  Firetop  and 
Firefly  climbed  a  high  cliff  on  the  east 
coast  to  hunt  for  pigeons'  eggs.  From  the 
top  of  the  hill,  they  could  see  for  miles  and 

117 


miles  in  every  direction.  The  cliffs  were 
on  a  long  point  of  land,  and  behind  the 
point  was  a  deep  bay,  where  all  sorts  of 
things  could  be  picked  up,  when  the  tide 
was  low.  In  a  cleft  of  the  rock  Firetop 
found  a  nest  with  four  eggs  in  it.  He  and 
Firefly  were  sitting  on  top  of  the  hill  eat 
ing  them,  when  Firefly  saw  a  queer  black 
spot  part  way  down  the  cliff,  toward  the 
east. 

"What's  that?"  she  said,  pointing. 

11  Let's  go  and  find  out,"  said  Firetop. 

They  climbed  cautiously  down  to  a  lower 
level  and  worked  their  way  through  the 
bushes  and  vines  which  covered  the  sloping 
side  of  the  bluff. 

"  It  must  be  somewhere  near  here,"  said 
Firetop,  "but  I  can't  see  it.  It's  hidden 
behind  the  bushes,  whatever  it  is." 

'  4  Maybe  it  was  a  bear  and  he  has  moved, ' ' 
said  Firefly,  looking  fearfully  over  her  shoul 
der. 

Of  course  they  could  not  be  quite  sure 
there  were  no  such  creatures  on  the  island. 

118 


"Pooh,"  said  Firetop,  "I'm  not  afraid. 
Come  along." 

They  hunted  up  and  down  and  sideways 
for  some  distance  along  the  bluff,  and  were 
almost  ready  to  give  up,  when  a  branch  that 
Firetop  was  holding  broke  and  he  fell  back 
ward  down  the  slope.  He  rolled  over  two 
or  three  times,  and  when  he  stopped  rolling 
and  sat  up  he  was  looking  directly  into  the 
mouth  of  a  great  dark  cave.  A  lot  of  stones 
and  dirt  came  tumbling  down  with  him,  and, 
with  that  and  some  noise  that  Firetop  made 
himself,  there  was  quite  a  disturbance. 

The  cave  was  full  of  owls,  and  when  the 
stones  and  dirt  and  a  boy  dropped  in  on 
them  suddenly,  they  were  very  much  sur 
prised.  No  fewer  than  six  of  them  flew  out 
of  the  cave,  and  as  they  were  blinded  by  the 
light,  they  bumped  right  into  Firetop. 

Those  still  in  the  cave  flew  about  and 
beat  their  wings  against  the  rocks.  This 
made  a  terrible  sound  in  the  hollow  cave, 
and  besides  that,  they  hooted.  Firetop 
had  never  met  an  owl  at  such  short  range 

119 


4S* 


•:•  ^x^< 


beforehand  his  red  hair  stood  straight  up 
on  his  head,  he  was  so  scared.  He  beat 
the  owls  off  with  his  arms  and  yelled  at  the 
top  of  his  lungs. 

Firefly  heard  him  and  came  plunging 
through  the  bushes  after  him.  In  another 
minute  she  too  had  fallen  through  the  same 
place  and  landed  beside  Firetop.  By  the 
time  they  had  picked  themselves  up,  the  owls 
had  flown  to  a  shelf  on  the  rock,  and  there 


120 


they  roosted  in  a  row,  staring  solemnly  at 
the  Twins. 

They  neither  moved  nor  spoke.  Some 
how  the  Twins  expected  them  to  speak  and 
say  something  very  reproving.  They  looked 
just  that  way.  The  Twins  did  n't  wait  to 
find  out  what  it  would  be,  however.  They 
went  crashing  through  the  bushes  and  back 
to  the  top  of  the  rock  as  fast  as  they  could  go. 

That  afternoon,  when  Hawk- Eye  and 
Limberleg  came  home,  bringing  a  young 
•  deer  on  their  shoulders,  the  children  told 
them  about  the  cave  and  pointed  it  out  from 
the  top  of  the  rock.  Hawk- Eye  at  once 
threw  down  the  deer  and  made  a  fire.  Then 
he  took  a  flaming  torch  in  one  hand  and 
his  spear  in  the  other  and  started  down  the 
bluff. 

"  How  did  you  get  to  the  cave?"  he 
asked  Firetop. 

".We  went  part  way  down  the  bluff  and 
fell  in,"  said  Firetop. 

Hawk-Eye  laughed.  "  I'll  see  if  I  can't 
find  a  better  way,"  he  said. 

121 


He  crept  cautiously  down  the  steep  slope, 
and  when  he  reached  the  cave,  he  held  his 
torch  above  his  head  so  as  to  light  the  in 
side  of  it,  and  with  his  other  hand  he  held 
his  spear,  ready  to  kill  any  wild  animal  that 


122 


might  be  living  in  it.  It  was  just  the  sort  of 
cave  where  one  might  expect  to  find  wolves 
at  least. 

The  owls  came  hooting  out  again  just 
as  they  had  when  Firetop  visited  them,  but 
nothing  else  stirred,  and  Hawk- Eye  went 
boldly  in.  The  cave  was  quite  large,  and  as 
it  was  in  a  chalk  cliff,  it  was  white  and  clean 
except  where  the  owls  had  made  their  nests. 

Hawk-Eye  did  n't  like  the  looks  of  owls. 
He  did  n't  like  their  staring  ways.  So  he 
tore  up  their  nests  and  threw  them  down 
the  bluff. 

Then  he  came  out  of  the  cave  and  began 
to  climb  about  on  the  slope,  as  if  he  were 
searching  for  something.  It  was  not  long 
before  he  gave  a  shout  of  joy  and  beckoned 
to  Limberleg  and  the  Twins,  who  were 
watching  him  eagerly. 

They  came  bounding  down  the  hillside 
at  once.  Hawk-Eye  met  them  at  the  cave- 
entrance.  ' '  Here 's  our  home, ' '  he  said,  point 
ing  to  the  cave.  "  Nothing  could  be  better. 
I  have  found  a  spring  of  fresh  water  near 

123 


by!  It  is  safer  than  any  place  we  have  ever 
found.  Go  in  and  see!" 

Limberleg  went  in  and  looked  all  about. 
She  was  just  as  pleased  with  it  as  Hawk- 
Eye  was.  She  did  n't  even  say,  "Let 's  see 
if  we  can't  find  another  cave  that  suits  us 
better." 

She  just  threw  her  deer-skin  down  on  the 
floor  of  the  cave  and  laid  her  spear  on  one 
of  the  shelving  rocks  and  began  to  live  there 
right  away.  They  always  had  their  weapons 
with  them,  all  of  them.  So  there  was  noth 
ing  more  to  do  but  start  a  fire  at  the  cave- 
mouth  and  begin  to  get  supper.  It  was  just 
as  easy  as  moving  into  a  furnished  flat. 

Hawk- Eye  went  back  to  the  top  of  the 
hill  and  brought  down  the  deer.  He  also 
brought  some  live  fire-brands  from  the  fire 
he  had  kindled.  With  these  he  started  a  new 
fire  at  the  cave-mouth. 

While  Limberleg  cut  up  the  meat  and  the 
Twins  broiled  great  pieces  of  it  over  the 
coals,  Hawk- Eye  took  his  stone  axe  and 
a  rough  path  through  the  underbrush 
124 


from  the  cave-entrance  to  the  spring,  and 
another  to  the  hill-top.  The  paths  were  so 
hidden  by  tall  weeds  and  bushes  that  they 
could  run  through  them  without  being  seen. 
When  at  last  they  sat  down  beside  the 
fire  at  the  cave-entrance  to  eat  their  first 
dinner  of  roast  venison  in  their  new  home, 
they  felt  as  rich  as  —  well  it's  really  quite 
impossible  to  tell  you  just  how  rich  they  did 
feel. 


VIII 
THE  RAFT 


VIII 

;  THE  RAFT 

WHEN  Limberleg  woke  the  next  morning, 
the  bright  sunshine  was  pouring  into  the 
cave,  lighting  up  the  very  farthest  corner  of 
it.  The  vines  which  overhung  the  entrance 
were  waving  in  the  breeze,  and  their  shadows 
were  dancing  gayly  on  the  chalk  floor. 

Limberleg  sat  up  and  looked  out.  From 
the  door  she  could  see  miles  and  miles  of 
open  water.  To  the  north  were  the  shores 
of  England.  Below  was  a  beautiful  sandy 
beach,  and  a  little  way  from  the  shore  there 
were  rocks  sticking  out  of  the  water.  Gulls 
were  wheeling  and  screaming  about  the 
rocks. 

Limberleg  took  the  gourd  and  went  down 
the  little  green  path  to  the  spring  for  water. 
When  she  came  back,  the  others  were  still 
sleeping.  So  she  crept  out  through  the  path 

127 


to  the  hill-top  and  gathered  sticks  to  re 
plenish  the  fire. 

She  was  already  broiling  the  venison 
when  the  others  woke. 

At  breakfast,  she  said  to  Hawk-Eye,  "I 
believe  I  will  stay  in  the  cave  to-day,  it  is 
such  a  lot  of  work  to  start  a  new  fire  every 
day,  and  I  can  keep  this  one  burning.  Be 
sides,  the  Twins  must  have  new  skins  pretty 
soon.  Those  fox-furs  they  are  now  wearing 
are  getting  shabby.  I.  will  cure  the  deer 
skin  we  brought  home  last  night  for  them." 

"We  must  get  more  skins,"  said  Hawk- 
Eye.  "We  shall  need  them  when  cold 
weather  comes.  I  will  get  the  meat,  and 
you  can  cook,  and  cure  the  skins,  and  tend 
the  fire." 

Then  Hawk- Eye  went  off  hunting,  to  be 
gone  all  day.  The  Twins  ran  down  to  the 
beach  and  went  in  wading.  They  were  not 
so  afraid  of  the  water  as  they  had  been, 
but  they  stayed  near  shore  because  they 
could  see  great  fish  tumbling  about  in  the 
waves,  and  they  did  n't  know  whether  they 

128 


ate  children  or  not.  Probably  the  fish  did  n't 
know,  either.  They  had  never  had  any  to 
try.  Anyway,  the  Twins  thought  they  would 
not  find  out  what  their  tastes  were  in  the 
matter,  and  so  they  stayed  near  the  shore, 
-  or  at  least  they  meant  to. 

Ever  since  the  great  storm  there  had 
been  logs  and  broken  tree  branches  float 
ing  about  in  the  water,  and  on  this  morn 
ing,  the  Twins  found  twro  of  them  bobbing 
about  near  the  beach-line.  They  were  not 
very  large,  and  the  Twins  thought  it  would 
be  fun  to  play  with  them.  They  waded  out 
and  pulled  them  in  toward  shore. 

"  Let's  ride  on  these  the  way  we  rode 
that  log  in  the  river,"  said  Firetop. 

Firefly  was  always  ready  to  do  whatever 
Firetop  did,  so  she  got  astride  one,  and 
Firetop  mounted  the  other,  and  they  went 
bouncing  along  through  the  water,  half  float 
ing  and  half  walking  on  the  sandy  bottom. 

It  was  great  fun,  but  the  long  branches 
stuck  in  the  sand  and  scratched  their  legs, 
so  they  drew  the  logs  nearer  shore  and 

129 


tried  to  pull  off  the  branches.   But  some  of 
them  were  too  tough. 

"  We  can  twist  them  together,"  said  Fire- 
top.  "That  will  keep  them  out  of  the  way 
and  maybe  the  logs  won't  roll  so  much." 

They  twisted  the  branches  of  the  two 
logs  roughly  together,  so  they  could  not 
stick  down  into  the  water  and  then  mounted 
their  sea  horses  again  and  rode  away.  They 
were  delighted  to  find  that  now  the  logs  be 
haved  much  better,  and  they  grew  so  bold 
that  they  ventured  out  into  deeper  water. 
They  had  made  a  wonderful  plaything. 

130 


All  the  morning  they  rode  the  logs,  and 
when  the  tide  began  to  come  in,  they  had  the 
best  time  of  all.  It  picked  up  the  little  raft 
and  floated  the  children,  screaming  with  joy, 
far  up  the  beach  on  a  long,  low,  rolling  wave. 

Limberleg  had  been  so  busy  making  a 
frame  of  sticks  to  stretch  the  deer-skin  on 
that  she  had  paid  no  attention  to  the  Twins. 
But  when  she  heard  their  screams,  she  came 
to  the  door  of  the  cave  and  looked  out  on 
the  beach.  When  she  saw  what  they  were 
doing,  she  came  running  down  the  bluff. 
She  ran  so  fast  she  was  all  out  of  breath, 
but  she  gasped  out:  "You  naughty,  care 
less  children !  You  must  not  do  that  any 
more  —  ever!  You  will  certainly  be  eaten 
up  by  a  big  fish — or  get  drowned  —  or 
maybe  both  —  if  you  do!"  The  Twins 
thought  that  their  mother  was  very  foolish, 
and,  being  cave  twins,  and  not  knowing 
any  better,  they  said:  "Aw,  mother,  we 
have  been  doing  it  all  the  morning,  and 
never  got  drowned  or  eaten  up  once  !  Try 
it  yourself  and  just  see  how  easy  it  is." 


But  Limberleg  was  very  unreasonable. 
She  only  said,  <(  If  you  do  it  again,  you 
know  what  will  happen,"  and  started  back 
up  the  bluff.  When  she  was  out  of  sight, 
Firetop  said:  "  Let's  do  it  once  more.  She 
won't  see  us !  "  This  shows  just  how  wicked 
and  disobedient  cave  children  could  be ! 

They  pushed  their  raft  out  into  the  wa 
ter  and  got  on  board.  They  were  at  the 
very  farthest  point  from  shore,  when  sud 
denly  Limberleg  came  right  out  of  the 
bushes  and  looked  at  them!  When  they 
saw  her,  the  Twins  were  very  much  em 
barrassed.  They  thought  perhaps  they  had 
better  stay  off  shore  a  while. 

They  reached  their  feet  down  and  dug 
their  toes  in  the  sand,  but  the  tide  was  still 
coming  in,  and  in  spite  of  all  they  could 
do,  it  lifted  them  up  and  carried  them  right 
to  where  Limberleg  stood.  She  looked  at 
them  very  sternly.  She  had  a  switch  in  her 
hand.  She  said:  "  I  told  you  what  would 
happen !  I  shall  have  to  punish  you,  but  it 
hurts  me  worse  than  it  hurts  you."  I  sup- 

132 


pose  that  was  the  first  time  any  parent  ever 
said  that.  Then  she  began  to  use  the  switch 
on  their  bare  legs. 

Perhaps  you  never  have  been  switched 
on  your  wet  bare  legs,  so  I  '11  explain  that 
it  hurts.  Firetop  and  Firefly  did  n't  under 
stand  how  it  could  hurt  her  more  than  it 
did  them.  However,  they  did  n't  say  so. 
They  just  ran  for  the  cave  as  fast  as  they 
could  go.  But  I  have  already  told  you  that 
Limberleg  could  run  faster  than  anybody 
and  she  kept  right  up  with  them  all  the  way. 

When  they  were  in  the  cave  again,  any 


one  passing  by  would  certainly  have  thought 
from  the  sounds  that  a  pack  of  wildcats 
lived  there.  At  last  Limberleg  said  to  them, 
*  Now,  you  see,  I  will  be  minded,"  and 
then  she  made  them  sit  still,  in  the  corner  of 
the  cave  until  she  had  finished  the  wooden 
frame  and  stretched  the  deer-skin  over  it. 

I  suppose  that  if  she  had  been  a  reason 
able  and  kind  mother  she  would  have  let 
them  go  on  and  get  drowned  or  eaten  up 
by  a  shark.  But  she  was  n't,  and  so  they 
were  n't,  or  else  you  can  very  well  see  that 
this  story  would  have  had  to  end  right  here. 

When  Hawk-Eye  came  home  that  after 
noon  with  two  live  rabbits  which  he  had 
snared,  the  Twins  were  so  delighted  with 
them  that  they  forgot  all  about  their  troubles 
of  the  morning. 

"  Can't  we  keep  the  rabbits  alive?"  they 
begged. 

"  How  can  you  keep  them?"  said  Hawk- 
Eye.  "  They  '11  run  away." 

"We  can  tie  them  by  their  legs,"  said 
Firetop. 


"We  can  cut  sticks  and  drive  them 
down  in  the  ground,  and  keep  the  rabbits 
inside  the  sticks,"  cried  Firefly. 

"What  will  you  cut  them  with?"  asked 
Hawk- Eye. 

"  With  your  stone  axe,"  Firefly  answered 
as  quick  as  a  wink. 

Hawk-Eye  looked  very  solemn.  "Will 
you  be  sure  to  bring  it  back  to  the  cave, 
if  I  let  you  take  my  axe?"  he  said. 

"  Of  course,"  cried  the  Twins.  They 
took  the  axe  at  once  and  rushed  out  to 
begin  the  fence  of  sticks,  while  Hawk-Eye 
tied  the  rabbits  by  their  hind  legs  to  a  little 
tree  near  the  cave. 


When  they  finished  the  fence  the  next 
day,  I  regret  to  say  the  stone  axe  was  no 
where  to  be  found,  and  it  was  three  days 
before  it  turned  up  under  a  bush  where 
they  had  cut  sticks. 

While  the  children  were  busy  fencing 
in  the  rabbits,  Limberleg  told  Hawk- Eye 
about  the  raft. 

"  You  can  see  it  down  thereon  the  beach," 
she  said.  "  I  really  think  it  was  very  clever 
of  them  to  make  such  a  thing,  but  of  course 
I  didn't  tell  them  so/' 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  Hawk-Eye. 

Now,  was  n't  that  just  like  parents  ? 

Pretty  soon,  while  Limberleg  was  cook 
ing  supper,  Hawk-Eye  slipped  down  to 
the  beach  by  himself  and  took  a  look  at 
the  raft.  Theri\he  dragged  it  down  to  the 
water  and  tried  it  himself.  He  tried  it  sev 
eral  times.  He  did  n't  say  anything  about 
it  when  he  got  back  to  the  cave,  but  the 
Twins  saw  how  very  clean  his  skin  looked. 
And  they  nodded  knowingly  at  each  other. 
They  had  their  suspicions. 


IX 

THE  SURPRISE 


IX 

THE  SURPRISE 

WHAT  with  fish  and  clams  and  crabs  and 
periwinkles  and  roots  and  game  and  berries 
and  wild  plums  and  all  sorts  of  other  good 
things  to  eat,  as  the  summer  came  on,  the 
Twins  and  their  father  and  mother  began 
to  grow  fat. 

Limberleg  did  n't  go  hunting  as  she 
used  to.  There  was  no  need  of  it  now,  for 
Hawk- Eye  could  bring  home  more  game 
than  they  needed.  So  she  stayed  by  the 
cave  and  kept  the  hearth  fire  bright  and 
cooked  the  food  and  cured  the  skins  and 
looked  after  the  children. 

The  Twins  kept  the  rabbits  and  fed  them 
every  day  with  fresh  leaves  and  roots,  and 
by  and  by  there  were  six  baby  rabbits  in 
the  cage  too. 

"We  might  make  the  cage  larger  and 


have  more  rabbits,"  said  Hawk- Eye,  "and 
then  in  winter,  we  should  always  have 
plenty  of  fresh  meat  right  at  hand." 

"What  a  good  idea!"  said  Limberleg. 
"The  children  can  feed  them." 

"Yes,"  said  Hawk-Eye,  "if  they  don't 
forget  it." 

"I  '11  see  that  they  don't  forget  it,"  said 
Limberleg. 

The  Twins  heard  her  say  it. 

"  I  think  probably  she  will,"  said  Fire- 
top.  He  had  great  confidence  in  his 
mother. 

"Will  what?"  said  Firefly. 

"Will  see  that  we  don't  forget  it,"  said 
Firetop,  and  they  guessed  right.  She  did. 

By  July  they  had  a  large  enclosure 
fenced  off  and  ever  so  many  rabbits  in  it. 
For  cave  people  they  were  now  very  rich. 
They  had  a  fine  cave  home,  plenty  of  skins, 
and  plenty  of  food. 

Limberleg  had  made  herself  a  good 
needle  out  of  bone  and  had  sewed  nice  soft 
deer-skins  into  clothes  for  them,  all  ready 

138 


for  cold  weather.  She  had  even  made 
beautiful  necklaces  of  shells  for  Firefly  and 
herself. 

One  summer  evening,  as  they  sat  look 
ing  at  the  moon,  Limberleg  said:  "  You  see 
I  was  right  about  the  water  gods.  There 
have  n't  been  any  more  earthquakes,  and 
we  have  everything  we  want  to  eat,  and 
plenty  of  warm  skins  and  a  fine  cave  to  live 
in.  There  is  just  one  thing  more  I  want.  I 
don't  care  much  for  society,  but  I  should 
like  more  people  to  talk  to." 

"  I  wish  Grannie  and  the  rest  were  here," 
said  Firetop.  "  I  should  like  to  show  Square- 
toes  our  rabbits." 

"  And  I  should  like  to  show  Robin  my 
necklace,"  said  Firefly. 

"It's  no  use  wishing,"  said  Firetop. 
"  There  's  all  that  water." 

Hawk-Eye,  as  usual,  said  nothing,  but 
all  the  time  he  was  thinking  hard  about 
the  floating  log  that  the  Twins  had  crossed 
the  river  on,  and  the  raft  they  had  made 
of  the  two  floating  trees. 

'39 


It  was  not  long  after  this  that  Limberleg 
began  to  notice  that  though  he  was  gone  all 
day  every  day,  Hawk- Eye  often  came  home 
without  game.  One  day  she  heard  the  sound 
of  his  stone  axe,  as  if  he  were  cutting  down 
a  tree,  but  she  thought  nothing  more  about  it. 

After  that  she  heard  the  sound  of  the  axe 
every  day  for  many  days.  It  seemed  to  come 
from  the  bay  behind  the  point  of  land.  At 
last  she  said  to  him:  "  What  in  the  world 
are  you  doing  with  your  axe  ?  I  hear  such 
a  pounding  everyday."  Hawk-Eye  did  not 
tell  her  what  he  was  making.  He  only  said, 
"  Maybe  some  day,  when  I  get  it  done,  you 
will  see." 

The  Twins  heard  the  axe  too,  and  they 
made  up  their  minds  they  were  going  to  find 
out  what  was  going  on.  The  next  day,  as 
they  were  playing  in  their  cave  back  of  their 
bluff  at  low  tide,  Firefly  saw  a  little  column 
of  smoke  rising  out  of  the  woods  near  the 
place  where  a  small  stream  flowed  into  the 
bay.  She  also  heard  the  axe.  The  sound 
seemed  to  come  from  somewhere  near  the 

140 


smoke.  She  pointed  the  smoke  out  to  Fire- 
top,  and  the  two  children  ran  swiftly  around 
the  beach  and  up  the  little  stream  for  a  short 
distance. 

There  they  found  Hawk-Eye.  He  was 
working  away  at  the  log  of  a  good-sized 
tree  which  he  had  cut  down.  He  had  made 
the  log  almost  flat  on  one  side  by  chipping 
off  pieces  with  his  axe,  and  he  had  shaped 
the  ends  a  little.  Now  he  was  hollowing  out 
the  inside.  He  was  doing  this  partly  with 
his  axe  and  partly  by  burning  it. 

Hawk-Eye  was  working  so  busily  he  did 
not  know  that  any  one  was  near  him  until 
Firetop  called  out,  "  What  are  you  making, 
Father  ?  " 

Hawk-Eye  stopped  chopping.  "  It 's  a 
secret,"  he  said.  "  If  I  tell  you,  you  '11  tell." 

"  No,  we  won't.  Anyway,  there  's  no  one 
to  tell  but  Mother,"  said  Firefly. 

•'"  She  's  just  the  one  I  want  to  keep  it 
from,"  said  Hawk-Eye.  "  It's  a  surprise." 

"  Oh,  well,  if  it  is  a  surprise,  of  course  we 
won't  tell,"  said  Firetop. 

141 


44  Do  you  know  what  it  is,  or  is  it  a  sur 
prise  to  you  too?''  asked  Firefly. 

44  Maybe  it  is,"  said  Hawk-Eye.  "  I  'm 
not  sure  yet.  When  I  get  the  inside  of  this 
log  all  cut  out,  I  'm  going  to  see  if  it  will 
float  without  rolling  over.  Maybe  I  can  get 
in  it  and  make  it  go  where  I  want  it  to.  If 
I  can,  then  all  sorts  of  things  may  happen, 
but  you  must  not  tell  Mother." 

11  Why  ?  "  asked  Firefly.  "  Would  n't  she 
let  you  play  with  it  ?  " 

"  Maybe  not,"  said  Hawk- Eye. 

44  You  'd  better  be  careful,"  said  Firefly, 
shaking  her  head,  "or  you  know  what  will 
happen!" 

Hawk-Bye  laughed  and  went  on  chop 
ping.  Every  day  after  that  the  Twins  fol 
lowed  their  father  to  the  little  cove  and 
watched  him  work.  Every  evening  they 
nearly  burst  trying  not  to  tell.  One  day 
when  they  went  down  to  the  cove,  they 
found  their  father  taking  out  the  last  chips 
from  the  inside  of  the  log. 

44  When  the  tide  comes  in,  it  backs  up  into 
142 


the  stream,"  said  Hawk-Eye,  "and  the  next 
time  it  does  it,  I  'm  going  to  push  the  log 
into  the  water  and  then  out  into  the  bay.  If 
it  floats  right  side  up,  I  am  going  for  a  ride." 

"How  will  you  push  it?"  asked  Firetop. 
"Are  you  going  to  let  your  legs  hang  over 
and  hitch  yourself  along  that  way?" 

"  I  shan't  need  any  turtles  to  bite  me 
to  make  me  go  anyway,"  said  Hawk-Eye. 
41  I'm  going  to  push  it  with  a  pole." 

H3 


The  pole  was  already  in  the  log.  The  tide 
began  to  flow  in.  As  soon  as  the  water  was 
deep  enough  Hawk- Eye  pushed  the  log  into 
the  water.  It  floated,  of  course.  Hawk-Eye 
waded  along  beside  it  into  deeper  water. 
Then  he  undertook  to  get  aboard,  but  he 
put  his  weight  too  much  on  one  side.  It 
rolled  over,  and  he  rolled  with  it,  and  went 
splash  on  his  stomach  right  into  the  water! 
Firetop  and  Firefly  danced  on  the  beach 
with  glee. 

Hawk- Eye  got  up  all  dripping  wet  and 
tried  again.  This  time  he  stepped  into  the 
middle  of  the  boat.  He  got  safely  in,  but  it 
was  still  very  tippy,  so  he  put  sand  in  the 
bottom  of  it  and  made  it  heavier.  Then  he 
tried  again. 

It  was  a  proud  moment  when  at  last  he 
took  his  pole  and  pushed  off. 

"  I'm  going  to  keep  close  to  shore  and  go 
around  the  point  if  I  can,"  he  said. 

The  children  tore  up  the  bank  and  over 
the  hill  to  get  back  to  the  cave  in  time  to 
see  him  coming.  Limberleg  was  weaving 

144 


a  berry  basket  out  of  strips  of  bark,  when 
the  children  came  racing  into  the  cave.  They 
were  so  excited  they  could  n't  keep  still. 

"  What  in  the  world  is  the  matter  with 
you?"  cried  Limberleg,  at  last.  "You've 
been  running  to  the  edge  of  the  bluff  and 
back  again  ever  since  you  came  in.  What 
are  you  looking  at?" 

"At  that!  at  that!"  shrieked  Firetop, 
pointing  down  to  the  water. 

H5 


There,  coming  close  to  the  shore  around 
the  bend,  was  Hawk- Eye  in  the  very  first 
boat  that  was  ever  made — in  that  part  of 
the  world  at  least. 

Limberleg  was  so  astonished  that  she 
could  n't  speak.  She  dashed  down  the  side 
of  the  bluff  without  stopping  for  the  path, 
and  the  Twins  came  tumbling  after  her. 
Of  course,  Limberleg  got  there  first.  She 
always  did.  And  when  the  Twins  reached 
the  water's  edge,  she  was  already  in  the 
boat  with  Hawk- Eye.  She  was  certainly  a 
brave  woman ! 


X 

THE  VOYAGE 


X 

:  THE  VOYAGE 

AFTER  Limberleg  had  had  a  ride,  the  Twins 
took  a  turn,  while  their  mother  watched 
them  from  the  shore. 

"It's  almost  more  fun  than  our  logs," 
said  Firetop,  when  he  took  his  first  ride. 

They  played  with  the  boat  and  tried  all 
sorts  of  experiments  with  it,  and  were  so 
happy  and  excited  that  it  grew  dark  and  the 
moon  came  out  before  one  of  them  so  much 
as  thought  of  anything  to  eat. 

For  days  and  days  after  that,  Hawk- Eye 
worked  on  his  boat.  He  found  out  all  its 
tricks.  He  even  found  out  that  he  could  go 
in  deep  water  if  he  paddled.  He  found  it 
out  first  by  using  his  hands  for  oars.  Then 
he  chopped  out  a  clumsy  flat  paddle. 

All  this  took  him  some  time,  but  by  mid 
summer  he  had  become  quite  expert  with 

147 


his  clumsy  craft.  He  could  keep  it  right  side 
up  and  make  it  go  where  he  wanted  it  to  at 
any  rate. 

Sometimes  he  ventured  out  into  the  deep 
water  around  the  gulls'  rocks.  One  day  he 
even  rowed  all  round  them.  He  could  look 
down  into  the  water  and  see  shoals  of  fish 
swimming  about,  but  he  could  not  catch 
them. 

When  he  went  back  to  the  cave  that  day, 
he  said  to  Limberleg:  "I  have  an  idea. 
Why  can't  you  weave  a  kind  of  net  out  of 
leather  thongs?  I  can  fasten  it  in  the  water 
out  by  the  rocks  and  catch  fish  in  it.  The 
water  gods  may  like  us  very  much,  as  you 
say,  but  they  have  n't  been  throwing  any 
fish  up  on  land  for  us  since  the  earthquake, 
so  I  'm  going  to  try  to  catch  some." 

1 '  To  be  sure, ' '  said  Limberleg.  ' '  We  snare 
rabbits,  why  shouldn't  we  snare  fish?" 

They  had  made  hooks  out  of  bone  and 
had  caught  river  fish  sometimes  when  they 
lived  back  in  the  forest,  but  they  had  not 
brought  any  hooks  with  them  on  their  jour- 

148 


ney.  They  had  always  been  more  used  to 
hunting  game  than  to  fishing,  anyway.  Now 
with  a  sea  full  of  fish  right  at  hand,  waiting 
to  be  caught,  they  began  to  think  more 
about  it. 

"  If  we  could  catch  fish,  we  should  have 
more  food  right  at  hand  than  we  could  pos 
sibly  eat,  without  ever  hunting  at  all,  if  we 
didn't  want  to,"  said  Hawk-Eye. 

After  that  Limberleg  spent  days  and  days 
tying  leather  thongs  together  in  a  coarse  net, 
while  Hawk-Eye  made  bone  fish-hooks  for 
himself  and  Limberleg  and  the  Twins,  and 
fastened  them  to  long  fine  strings  of  leather. 

By  August,  Hawk-Eye  had  taught  the 
Twins  how  to  fish  the  streams  for  trout, 
and  he  himself  had  learned  how  to  fasten 
his  net  between  two  of  the  gull  rocks  and 
catch  the  fish  that  swam  in  deep  water. 

There  was  nothing  Hawk-Eye  liked  so 
much  as  going  out  in  his  boat.  He  went  up 
and  down  the  coast  for  miles,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  he  knew  every  little  creek  and 
inlet  and  bay  on  the  eastern  end  of  the  island. 

149 


At  last,  one  day  in  August,  he  said  to 
Limberleg:  "  I  am  going  to  load  the  boat 
with  food  to  last  a  few  days  and  see  if  I 
can't  get  over  to  the  mainland.  It  is  only 
a  short  distance  across  to  the  nearest  point. 
I  Ve  been  farther  than  that  in  my  boat 
already." 

"  But  I  am  afraid  you  '11  be  drowned," 
cried  Limberleg,  "and  then  what  shall  we 
do?" 

"You  can  take  care  of  yourselves/'  said 
Hawk-Eye.  "The  children  can  already  fish 
in  the  streams,  and  there  are  the  rabbits  and 
the  clams.  You  will  not  want  for  anything 
while  I  am  away." 

"  But  we  shall  be  lonesome,"  cried  Lim 
berleg;  "and  suppose  you  should  never 
come  back! " 

"But  I  shall  come  back,"  said  Hawk- 
Eye.  "You'll  see." 

Limberleg  knew  it  was  useless  to  say 
any  more,  and  the  very  next  day  she  and 
the  Twins  helped  him  load  his  boat  with 
deer-meat  and  wild  plums  and  acorns,  and 

150 


then  Hawk-Eye  put  in  his  spear  and  his 
stone  axe  and  hooks  and  line,  and  got  in 
himself. 

The  three  of  them  stood  on  the  beach 
and  watched  him  push  off  from  their  island 
and  start  across  the  channel  toward  the  main 
land.  They  watched  him  until  the  boat  was 
a  mere  black  speck  in  the  distance.  Then 
they  trudged  slowly  back  to  their  lonely  cave. 

There  followed  many  anxious  days  and 
nights.  Limberleg  went  back  to  hunting 
again.  She  took  the  Twins  with  her,  and 
began  to  teach  them  to  hunt  like  men. 

"If  anything  should  happen  to  me,  you 
could  take  care  of  yourselves  if  you  knew 
how  to  hunt  and  trap  as  well  as  fish,"  she 
said.  . 

Beside  getting  food  for  their  daily  needs, 
they  began  to  store  it  for  the  winter.  They 
gathered  nuts  by  the  bushel  and  piled  them 
in  heaps  in  the  corner  of  the  cave.  When 
ever  they  were  not  sleeping  or  doing  any 
thing  else,  they  were  always  gathering  wood 
for  the  fire. 

15* 


In  this  way  four  long  weeks  went  by.  At 
last  came  a  day  when  the  wind  was  sharp, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  summer  were  nearly 
over. 

Limberleg  and  the  Twins  had  gone  down 
to  the  cave  behind  their  bluff  to  get  clams 
for  supper.  They  had  one  of  Limberleg's 
baskets  with  them,  and  had  nearly  filled  it 
with  clams.  They  were  out  some  distance 
from  the  beach-line,  for  the  tide  was  low. 

Suddenly  the  water  began  to  rise.  The 
returning  tide  came  in  such  a  flood  that 
they  had  to  run  as  fast  as  their  legs  could 
carry  them  to  get  safely  ashore.  They  had 

152  - 


reached  the  bank  and  were  just  beginning 
to  climb  slowly  up  the  bluff,  when  they 
heard  a  shout  behind  them.  Limberleg  was 
so  startled  that  her  knees  gave  way  under 
her  and  she  sat  right  down  in  the  basket 
of  clams ! 

They  looked  across  the  cove,  and  there, 
coming  in  with  the  tide,  was  their  own  boat, 
with  brave  Hawk- Eye  in  it  waving  his  hand 
to  them.  They  could  see  three  other  heads 
beside  Hawk-Eye's,  but  neither  Limber- 
leg  nor  the  Twins  could  tell  whose  heads 
they  were.  They  left  the  basket  of  clams 
on  the  side  of  the  bluff  and  tore  down  to 
th€  water's  edge. 

As  the  boat  came  near  the  shore,  they 
saw  Grannie,  looking  scared  to  death,  sit 
ting  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  holding 
on  to  each  side  with  all  her  might.  Behind 
her  were  Blackbird  and  Squaretoes! 

The  moment  the  boat  came  near  shore, 
the  two  boys  tumbled  out  of  the  back  end 
of  it,  nearly  upsetting  Grannie,  and  splashed 
through  the  shallow  water  to  the  shore. 


They  butted  Firetop  in  the  stomach  and 
knocked  him  flat,  and  spun  Firefly  around 
in  the  sand  to  show  how  glad  they  were  to 
see  them. 

When  at  last  the  prow  of  the  boat  grated 
on  the  sand,  and  Grannie  and  Hawk-Eye 
got  out,  the  four  children  ran  round  them 
in  circles  like  puppies,  screaming  with  joy. 
Even  Limberleg  danced.  Grannie  clapped 
her  hands  over  her  ears. 


When  the  noise  had  calmed  down  a  lit 
tle,  she  seized  Firetop  and  Firefly  and 
shook  them  soundly. 

"You  little  red-headed  wretches,"  she 
cried.  "  Here  you  are  alive  and  well,  and 
fat  as  rabbits,  and  all  this  time  I  Ve  worried 
the  heart  nearly  out  of  me  wondering  what 
had  become  of  you  !  ' 

It  had  been  such  a  long  time  since  the 
spring  morning  when  the  Twins  had  stolen 
away  out  of  the  cave  that  at  first  they  did 
not  know  what  Grannie  was  talking  about. 
They  had  never  thought  how  she  must 
have  felt  when  she  found  that  they  were 
gone. 

Hawk-Eyelaughed.  "  I  Ve  brought  Gran 
nie  back  with  me  on  purpose  to  give  you 
what  you  deserve,"  he  said.  "  She  told  me 
she  was  going  to  take  a  stick  to  you  as 
soon  as  she  saw  you,  for  playing  such  a 
trick  on  her." 

"  Just  you  wait  until  I  get  a  stick,"  cried 
Grannie.  She  looked  fierce  as  she  said  it, 
but  the  Twins  knew  very  well  she  was  just 


as  glad  to  see  them  as  they  were  to  see 
her.  They  seized  her  hands,  one  on  each 
side,  and  began  to  pull  her  up  the  hill. 
Blackbird  and  Squaretoes  pushed  from 
behind. 

"  Go  along  with  you,"  screamed  Gran 
nie,  holding  back,  with  all  her  might.  "  I 
can't  run  so  fast;  I  am  all  out  of  breath." 

156 


"We'll  run  you,  then,"  screamed  the 
children,  and  they  pulled  and  pushed  until 
they  got  her  panting  and  breathless  to  the 
top  of  the  hill.  Hawk- Eye  had  drawn  his 
precious  boat  high  up  on  the  beach  out  of 
reach  of  the  tide,  and  he  and  Limberleg 
followed  more  slowly  with  the  basket  of 
clams. 

At  the  top  of  the  hill,  the  Twins,  with 
Blackbird  and  Squaretoes,  ducked  into  the 
hidden  path  that  led  to  the  cave,  just  like 
mice  diving  down  a  mouse-hole. 

Grannie  was  left  standing  alone  on  the 
hill-top.  She  could  n't  see  what  had  be 
come  of  the  children.  She  could  hear  their 
voices,  and  down  the  bluff  she  could  see 
a  thin  column  of  smoke  rising.  She  knew 
the  cave  must  be  there,  but  she  did  n't 
know  how  to  get  to  it. 

When  Hawk-Eye  and  Limberleg  came 
up,  they  took  her  with  them  through  the 
little  green  alley  that  led  to  the  cave.  When 
they  reached  it  the  children  had  flung  a  great 
pile  of  dry  sticks  on  the  fire,  and  the  flames 


were  leaping  high  in  the  air  to  welcome 
them. 

"See,"  cried  Limberleg,  "even  the  fire 
dances  with  joy  at  your  coming." 

She  took  Grannie  into  the  cave  and 
showed  her  the  piles  of  warm  skins,  and 
the  heaps  of  nuts:  then  she  showed  Gran 
nie  how  to  cook  clams. 

158 


The  Twins  had  taken  Blackbird  and 
Squaretoes  the  very  first  thing  to  see  the 
rabbits.  Then  they  came  back  for  Grannie 
and  made  her  go  and  see  them  too,  and 
when  every  one  had  seen  everything  there 
was  to  see,  it  was  dark,  and  Limberleg  had 
a  real  feast  ready  for  them  to  eat. 

She  had  killed  a  deer  the  day  before,  and 
so  they  had  broiled  venison,  seasoned  with 
sea  salt.  They  had  clams  steamed  with  sea 
weed,  and  they  had  nuts  and  wild  plums. 

When  they  had  all  stuffed  themselves  full, 
Limberleg  said  to  Hawk-Eye:  "Now  tell 
us  all  about  your  journey.  When  you  went 
away,  we  watched  you  from  the  hill-top 
until  you  were  a  mere  speck  on  the  water. 
We  knew  nothing  more  of  you  until  we 
heard  your  shout  to-day.  There  were  many 
weary  days  between." 

"They  were  not  weary  to  me,"  said 
Hawk-Eye.  "  I  reached  the  other  shore  in 
safety,  and  then  turned  my  boat  toward  the 
sunset.  I  kept  in  the  shallow  water  near  the 
shore,  and  followed  the  coast  around  the 


end  of  the  point  of  land  which  we  crossed 
when  we  came  here. 

"  I  knew  our  river  must  empty  into  the  big 
water  not  far  away,  and  so  I  paddled  up  the 
first  stream  I  found.  I  slept  in  the  boat  at 
night.  The  first  night  I  was  awakened  by 
the  howling  of  wolves.  But  I  had  only  to 
push  my  boat  out  into  the  stream.  They 
would  not  follow  me  there. 

"  For  two  days  I  paddled  up-stream.  The 
second  day  I  began  to  see  things  that  I  knew, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  third  I  reached 
the  river  path  just  as  Grannie  was  coming 
down  for  water." 

"Yes,  yes,"  cried  Grannie.  "1  thought  I 
was  dreaming!  The  boat  frightened  me. 
I  thought  Hawk- Eye  was  dead  and  that  I 
saw  his  spirit.  I  started  to  run  to  the  cave." 

14  Did  you  think  we  were  all  dead?"  asked 
Limberleg. 

"Yes,"  said  Grannie.  "I  thought  some 
cave  bear  or  tiger  had  got  you.  You  were 
always  so  bold  and  venturesome.  And  as 
for  these  worthless  ones,"  she  added,  pat- 

160 


ting  Firetop  on  the  head,  "I  did  n't  know 
whether  they  had  gone  with  you,  or  had 
stolen  away  into  the  woods  and  been  eaten 
by  old  Saber-tooth." 

"Well,  you  see,"  cried  Limberleg,  laugh 
ing,  "it  pays  to  be  bold  and  brave."  When 
she  said  "bold  and  brave,"  she  looked  right 
at  Hawk-Eye.  She  thought  he  was  the 
boldest  and  bravest  man  in  the  world. 

"There  aren't  any  saber-toothed  tigers 
on  this  island,  and  there 's  plenty  to  eat 
every  day.  Did  n't  the  others  want  to  come 
too  when  you  told  them  about  it?"  she  said 
to  Hawk-Eye. 

"They  all  wanted  to  come,"  Hawk-Eye 
answered,  "but  the  boat  would  not  hold  so 
many.  So  I  stayed  to  show  them  how  to 
make  boats  for  themselves.  Long  Arm  and 
Big  Ear  and  Gray  Wolf  are  all  at  work  on 
them  now,  and  they  will  come  in  the  spring 
or  summer  if  they  get  them  done." 

"How  will  they  know  the  way?"  asked 
Firetop. 

"  I  told  them  just  how  to  follow  the  river 
161 


and  the  coast,  and  where  to  cross,"  said 
Hawk-Eye.  "They  can't  help  finding  the 
island,  and  if  they  find  the  island,  they  can't 
help  finding  us.  I  told  them  we  were  on  the 
side  where  the  sun  rises  out  of  the  water." 

It  had  grown  very  dark  as  they  talked. 
There  was  only  firelight  in  the  cave,  but 
just  then  Limberleg  saw  a  bright  streak  on 
the  edge  of  the  water  toward  the  east. 

"  Look,  Grannie,  look,"  she  cried,  point 
ing  to  it.  "We  have  discovered  the  secret 
of  the  sun  and  the  moon !  They  both  sleep 
in  the  water! " 

The  children  and  Grannie  and  Hawk- 
Eye  and  Limberleg  all  watched  together 
until  the  white  streak  grew  brighter  and 
stretched  in  a  silver  path  across  the  water 
to  the  beach  below.  They  saw  the  pale  disk  of 
the  moon  slowly  rise  into  the  deep  blue  of  the 
night  sky,  and  the  stars  wink  down  at  them. 

"  I  suppose  no  one  else  in  the  whole  world 
knows  the  secret,"  said  Limberleg  solemnly. 
"You  see  this  is  the  end  of  the  world.  You 
can't  go  any  farther." 

162 


"  Except  in  my  boat,"  said  Hawk-Eye. 

"  The  spirits  of  the  water  have  been  good 
to  us,"  said  Limberleg.  "  We  will  not  tempt 
them  too  far.  If  there  are  more  secrets,  we 
will  not  try  to  find  them  out." 

"  Some  day,  "said  Hawk-Eye,  "someday 
I  mean  to  go"  —  but  Limberleg  would  not 
let  him  finish. 

"NO,"  she  said,  putting  her  hand  over 
his  mouth,  "  no,  you  are  not  going  any  where 
at  all,  ever  again!  You  are  going  to  stay 
right  here  with  us  and  be  happy." 


L:  ENVOI 

Long,  long  ago,  when  the  Earth  was  young 
And  Time  was  not  yet  old, 
Ere  all  the  stars  in  the  sky  were  hung, 
Or  the  silver  moon  grown  cold; 

When  the  clouds  that  sail  between  the  worlds 
Were  fanned  with  fluttering  wings, 
And  over  all  the  land  there  curled 
The  fronds  of  growing  things; 

When  fishes  swarmed  in  all  the  seas, 
And  on  the  wooded  shore 
There  roamed  among  the  forest  trees 
A  million  beasts  or  more; 

Then  in  the  early  morn  of  Time, 
Called  from  the  formless  clod, 
Came  Man,  to  start  the  weary  climb 
From  wild  beast  up  to  God,— 

Oh,  bravely  did  he  dare  and  do, 
And  bravely  fight  and  die, 
Or  you  to-day  could  not  be  you, 
And  I  could  not  be  /. 


CAMBRIDGE   .  MASSACHUSETTS 
U    .    S    .    A 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

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REC'D  LD 

FEB  1 0 1957 
MAY  2 1 1975  2 

REC.  CIR.     flPR26'75 

WAY  3  0  1980 

fiEC.CIRju.233o 

LD  21-100m-9,'48(B399sl6)47 


JUN  0 1 1996 

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